Not men nor women | Achille Piotrowicz

Not men nor women

Kastouri (left side), a young transvestite of 16 years, hugs his Papa gay K. (on the right), 42 years old. Transvestites people have created a community, a kind of an hierarchical staircase, based on rules handed down by generations. Evening in Lahore, Pakistan on Monday, December 01 2008....."Not men nor women". Just Hijira, Kusra. Painted lips, Kajal surrounding their eyes and colourful veils..Pakistan is today considered a strongly, foundamentalist as well, islamic country. But under its reputation, above all over the talebans' continuos advancing, stirs a completely extraneous world, a multiethnic mixed society. Transvestites make part of it, despite this would not be admitted by a strict law. Third gender, the Hijira are born as men (often ermaphrodites) or with an ambiguous genital situation, and they have their testicles and penis removed through a - often brutal - surgical operation. The peculiarity is that this operation does not contemplate the reconstruction of a female organ. This is the reason why they are not considered as men nor women, just Hijira. They are often discriminated, persecuted and taxed with being men prostitutes in the muslim areas. The members of this chast perform dances during celebrations, especially during weddings, since it is anciently believed that an EUNUCO's dance and kiss in the wedding day brings good luck to the couple's fertility...To protect the identities of the recorded subjects names and specific .places are fictionals.

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Filename: AchPio_20081201_IMG_4743.jpg
Image Size: 600x400 / 91.1KB; Islamabad Karachi Lahore Pakistan Rawalpindi culture desperation hashish hijra homosexual islam kusra muslim world not man nor woman not men nor women poverty prostitution trans transvestite

Kastouri (left side), a young transvestite of 16 years, hugs his Papa gay K. (on the right), 42 years old. Transvestites people have created a community, a kind of an hierarchical staircase, based on rules handed down by generations. Evening in Lahore, Pakistan on Monday, December 01 2008....."Not men nor women". Just Hijira, Kusra. Painted lips, Kajal surrounding their eyes and colourful veils..Pakistan is today considered a strongly, foundamentalist as well, islamic country. But under its reputation, above all over the talebans' continuos advancing, stirs a completely extraneous world, a multiethnic mixed society. Transvestites make part of it, despite this would not be admitted by a strict law. Third gender, the Hijira are born as men (often ermaphrodites) or with an ambiguous genital situation, and they have their testicles and penis removed through a - often brutal - surgical operation. The peculiarity is that this operation does not contemplate the reconstruction of a female organ. This is the reason why they are not considered as men nor women, just Hijira. They are often discriminated, persecuted and taxed with being men prostitutes in the muslim areas. The members of this chast perform dances during celebrations, especially during weddings, since it is anciently believed that an EUNUCO's dance and kiss in the wedding day brings good luck to the couple's fertility...To protect the identities of the recorded subjects names and specific .places are fictionals.