[UA] The Unknown Truth version 1

[James Palmer]

On Sun, 30 Apr 2000 stuartanderson at uswest.net wrote:

> 
>     I saw something on 20/20 or 48 hours or something about these fellas in
> India. They have varying levels and methods of gender ambiguity. Some are
> transsexuals, some are crossdressers. Some are very passable as female, some
> are as feminine as Max Klinger. They seem to live together in communal co-op
> arrangements. When they hear of a baby being born, they crash the party,
> dancing around, extorting an offering in exchange for their blessing. And
> they get it. The parents live in fear of these guys. These are modern,
> educated people, firmly acknowledging some big ju-ju in these guys.

The, um, hijra?  Something like that.  There's an article on them in
Dalrymple's excellent THE AGE OF KALI, which is good UA material.  They
turn up at weddings sometimes, too.  Some of them are hermaphrodites.

J.


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