Meaning of khwaja sira | Babel Free

Definitions

A member of a traditional transfeminine third gender in Pakistan and India since Mughal times.

Examples

“That the discussion kept focusing on the sexual behavior of khwaja siras agitated a number of transgender activists, who were uncomfortable that these issues were being discussed in the presence of people who were not khwaja siras. […] Beena's response demonstrates the tendency of khwaja sira activists to represent themselves and their communities in a socially acceptable manner as respectable and religious people. She emphasized the conservatism[…]”

“Funding that is targeting the Khwaja Sira community ought to go through Khwaja Sira organisations, she says, insisting on being more than a token for international NGOs that have little or no knowledge about the local conditions.”

“The individual and shared identity of khwaja siras is pivotal to studying why and how they are persecuted. According to Khan (2014a), there is no universally agreed upon definition for a khwaja sira, and the fluid term has a distinct trajectory of use in Pakistan. Transgender Pakistanis may use the term hijra to refer to themselves,[…]”

CEFR level