June 30, 2008 • 5:06 pm 0
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A Blogger in Hijdaland, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.
Filed under: Hijda -Eunuch.Com
• 4:18 pm 0
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Hijda Humanity, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.
clapping their hands
on the street
hijda loves to greet
neither man nor woman
the hijda incomplete
born with dancing feet
hijda humanity
die standing
unwrapped misfortune
weeping tears
embalmed in a
winding sheet
rains the dust and the heat
their manly destiny
they did cheat
at the mercy of a genderless god
I repeat
the hijda a somnolent
sadist society
does not know how to treat
a spiritual silent soul
embedded in a flesh concrete
Filed under: hijra poetry
• 9:53 am 0
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Beyond My Reach, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.
a picture
a visage
unfulfilled moments
time did bleach
memories
emotions
heart pulling
heart rending
silence
now beyond my reach
her path
my path
an uncollided route
brakes humanly did screech
souls made for each other
cruel destiny did breach
they practice pragmatism
who teach
what others preach
one man on this universe
its bush you must impeach
Filed under: hijra poetry
• 8:15 am 0
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in a world of hate
in a poetry forum
in poetry land
to blog or not to blog
on demand
live and let live
racist poets
english boars
monstrous hogs
with loose bowels
dont understand
attacks on a multi colored ass
all preplanned
dust in the eyes
and some sand
a witch of armageddon
with a satanic wand
poems insipid
totally bland
collective crooks
all hand in hand
in a spiders web
the leader
who drums
in a racist band
Filed under: Firoze Shakir Bollywoods Most Wanted
• 8:05 am 0
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Filed under: Firoze Shakir Bollywoods Most Wanted
• 7:51 am 0
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The Hijda Fairy Tale -In a Photo Blog, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.
Laxmi and her Hijdas love the Hookah.
A nawabi pastime.
I dont drink smoke or fornicate .
My passion is capturing life
the hijda fary tale in a photo blog
on the other side of the human fence..
through the mystical intricacies of my lens
wisdom hidden in nonsense
eunuch faces wrinkled and tense
androgynous raptures
amorphous moments that
dont make sense
holistic hijda healing
that human souls cleanse
mysterious mind paths
crooked and dense
forget forgive recompense
humiliated insulted
disfranchised
marginalised
but dont take offense
hijdaeroticness
hijda suspense
on the face of society
without any expense
Filed under: hijra poetry
• 6:38 am 0
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The Hijda Body Warmth, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.
The Hijdas are isolated marginalised disfranchised group of biologically born men living their entire lives as women.
They are insecure , wary suspicious , and when threatened can be aggressive , they live in ghettos , very close to each other.
Payal Hijda in the center is from Orissa, she lives in this stark sooty dungeon like cell of a tenement.
Payal is very beautiful, as a person , once she decks up she is simply out of the world.
Payal had visited my home a few years back with Laxmi Narayan Tripathi her Guru.
I had lunch with Payal and her Hijda friends, Oriya Fish curry rice and a mixed vegetable fare rich in Vitamin A .
Muskan had bought me to he house, I get along very well with Muskan, who gives me a respect of a teacher cum friend.
Yet I did not probe her much, she is a hijda from the age of eight , she has been castrated , and has a bosom that can be an envy of a normal female.
Her movements are all feminine , she is a Maharashtrian..
She has come up the hard way.
Filed under: Hijda -Eunuch.Com
June 29, 2008 • 4:36 pm 0
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Filed under: Firoze Shakir Bollywoods Most Wanted
• 4:34 pm 0
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Filed under: Firoze Shakir Bollywoods Most Wanted
• 4:33 pm 0
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Filed under: Firoze Shakir Bollywoods Most Wanted
• 4:31 pm 0
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www.hindustantimes.com/storypage/storypage.aspx?id=910307…
Barney Henderson , Hindustan Times
Email Author
Mumbai, June 29, 2008
First Published: 02:21 IST(29/6/2008)
Last Updated: 02:27 IST(29/6/2008)
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Christians, Hindus and Muslims from across Maharashtra continue to descend on St Michael’s Church in Mahim to witness — what they believe — is a miracle.
The dark red patch around the heart on a painting of Jesus Christ has grown since it was discovered on Friday afternoon, and so has the queue around Mahim’s packed streets. Hundreds of people visited the church by Saturday night.
Almost euphoric, people queued for up to six hours to spend just two seconds in front of the painting. They were allowed to touch and kiss the protective glass before being moved along. Many broke down after seeing the ‘miracle’, some wept and several fainted.
However, the Catholic Church in India denied this miracle. “The Church is cautious about declaring something a miracle,” said Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Mumbai. “God can work miracles, but it is too early to say that this is a miracle. It’s probably due to climate conditions from the monsoon. People should not get euphoric about this, but if it brings them closer to God, it is a good thing. I’ll visit the church soon to see it for myself.”
Clearly flustered by the unprecedented attention and a sleepless night, Parish Priest Father Raphael, stated that this was no miracle. “People can interpret it as they want to, but the picture is not bleeding and this is no miracle,” he said. Despite early chaos — when a stampede entered the church after the mark was first discovered — volunteers and police controlled the crowd and 500 metres long queue was formed. Ambulance crews were also on hand.
News of the ‘miracle’ spread fast and believers from Goa, Karnataka and Gujarat have made the pilgrimage to see the 3 by 4 foot painting. Several local schools gave children the day off to visit the church.
“It is a sign from God that Jesus has returned in this time of violence, sin and evil to give the message that he is dying for us again,” said David Serrao, a pastor at St Michael’s. “The blood started as a small red drop and was discovered by children playing in the church. It has now spread as Christ’s heart bleeds.” It is not just Christians that are flocking to Mahim. Large numbers of Hindus and Muslims are also coming to witness the image.
Maryam Shah travelled with her husband and three children from Malad. “I cried when I saw the blood,” she said. “We are Muslims but that does not matter when something like this happens. People of all faiths should appreciate the message.”
Filed under: Firoze Shakir Bollywoods Most Wanted
• 4:28 pm 0
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news.webindia123.com/news/Articles/India/20080629/987108….
Thousands of people have been flocking to St Michaels’ Church at Mahim, popularly known as ‘Mahim Church’ to witness a photo of Lord Jesus Christ, which is reportedly ”bleeding”.
A spot of blood was noticed on Friday. Since then, people have been thronging to have a glimpse the ‘miracle’.
Some of the devotees and the church management had seen a drop of blood emitting from the chest of Jesus Christ’s 3 ft X 4 ft photo placed in the church on Friday evening. As the news spread, thousands of people have flocked there to witness the ‘miracle’.
Kanhaiya Lal Sharma, a taxi driver, said early today, two of his passengers could not get candles in the vicinity and travelled till Dadar to buy some.
”None of the shops in the locality had enough stocks as per the demand,” he added.
Joseph D’Souza, who visited the church, said there seems to be some miracle and maybe it is the God’s way to tell us something.
”It is upto the people, as believers may consider it to be a miracle, while others may not,” he added.
Meanwhile, Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Mumbai, told mediapersons that it was too early to comment on it. ”We are still very cautious to declare it a miracle”, he said.
Similar ‘miracles’ had taken place before like Ganpati idols drinking milk few years ago and also on August 21, 2006, which the scientists described that it was due to surface tension. Similarly, thousands of people had flocked to Mahim Creek on August 18, 2006, after reported claims that the sea water had turned sweet. Then, the scientists had claimed that the water had been diluted by rain.
– (UNI) — 29BY17.xml
Filed under: Firoze Shakir Bollywoods Most Wanted
• 4:09 pm 0
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These are my personal observations I maybe right I may not be wrong..
The homosexual element is a sexual preference , man wanting to sexually be satisfied by man.
The Ardha Nari is the duality of gender within the psyche of a man or woman..
A Man may me more feminine and less masculine.A woman maybe more masculine less feminine .
But both elements of Man and woman and ying and yang in the human core of reality.
Now the Hijda holds the upperhand in the hierarchy, the hijda is fiercely possessive about the dichotomy of his gender.
The Hijda is a state of Mind .
He has ancestry , heritage , ethnicity and more.
The Hijda is a homosexual but a homosexual is not always a Hijda.
I have seen Hijdas walking in and out stark naked but there was never an urge to shoot them..I know my limit..
I shot hot pictures of Muskaan, as it was hot and humid environmentally .
I know when not to go overboard.Nor am I pretentious of being a Hijda Fashion photographer .But yes I merge with the Hijda his alternate sexuality – all through the viewfinder.
The Hijda is a unique creation of nature , a nature within the restlessness of man.I dont take notes when Laxmi highlights the Hijda angst..
The Hijda is far too human a vessel with amrut and poison too, black and white , night and day.
There is a vast difference betwen the copulation of man with man as compared to the tantric sex of the Hijda art of Lovemaking..
Hijda sex I am told by the few toy boys I talked too is the Unholy Grail or the forbidden fruit..
I dont know wether a hijda was making fun of me because of my saffron attire at Payal Hijdas house , she said she would like to have sex with a man like me.I told her I was a celibate and created in the mould of a Naga Sadhu.
Sex is also something that orgiastically is fulfilled through the mind too in on a celestial plain.
My pictures are not meant for titillation..
My pictures are real in a make believe world..
But yes its not conceit but I shoot the Hijdas exactly as I see the Hijda in his natural surroundings.
I did tell my Guru Laxmi Narayan Tripathi she was more partial towards the white photographer than a multicolored man like me.
Yes I do envy Marc de Clercq who stayed for two months at Laxmis house shooting the Hijdas..
And as gifted as Anita Kkemka I cannot be – a thought that pre empts going for a sex change.. Ha Ha Ha
I am happy in my moderation and those of my plastic body ethereal soul of the Nikon D 80
Filed under: Firoze Shakir Bollywoods Most Wanted
• 2:40 pm 0
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I met Sheetal at Laxmis house , his mother is dead, his father died recently, at first because of his feminine gestures and walk I thought he was a Hijda.
But Muskan told me he only poses as a hijda, but is gay and a cross dresser.
Hijda is a thing of the mind..Hijda is a 24/7 statement of transgender reality.
You have it or you dont.
Muskan does not much like Sheetal.
But Laxmi is fond of him, she made him up as Ardh Nari – half man half woman..
Later I found Sheetal again at Payal Hijdas house where he was having lunch , Muskan and I broke bread here .. rice dal and Oriya Fish Curry.
Payal is from Orissa.
Filed under: Firoze Shakir Bollywoods Most Wanted
• 1:37 pm 0
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Laxmi Narayan Tripathi at Home, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.
This is Laxmi Narayan Tripathi at her home at Thane .
She was getting decked up for a lunch invite with Sallu Bhai – Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif at Filmistan studio..
Salman Khan has always been sensitive to the defranchised , the underpriviliged and the down trodden.
Salman Khan was highly impressed with the wit and charm of Laxmi Narayan Tripathi..her immense contribution to the hijda cause globally.
I had come to Laxmis house , this was my second trip after two years.
Picture was shot by Atharva , Laxmis Man Friday.
Laxmi has adopted two grown up boys as her kids.
She is my metrosexual Hijra Guru.
She also showed me her picture with Salman Rushdie who had visited her at her house recently..
She said it was a private moment and she refused to give me the picture to post at my site.
She left me in the care of the hot hijda siren Muskan.
I shot a lot of pictures , here as well as at Payal Hijdas house and finally some steaming hot pictures of Muskan at her own house.
Muskan dropped me at the highway from where I took a ricksha from Thane to Bandra.
I asked Laxmi about the connection of the Hijdas and Haji Malang.
She informed me that the early eunuchs of India were Hindus who accepted Sufi Islam for its tolerance and gender equality.
Most of the early pioneers of Eunuchdom were Hijdas influenced by Hafiz and Rumi.
The seven houses of the Hijdas including the eight house from Pune , were impressed with the teachings of Holy Saint of Haji Malang, they bought land here that belongs to the Hijda Panch.
But it is Ajmer Sharif that pulls the Hijdas like moth to a burning flame.
She told me that a German crew is coming to shoot her troupe at Ajmer , Marc de Clercq from Belgium will be there to including Anita Khemka gifted photographer and Laxmis soul mate.
I am relocating my shop , I also am bound to work committment so my chances of touching Ajmer Sharif are very bleak, unless a miracle sends me there on wings of fancy.
Muskan told me a lot of stuff about the HIjdas , her privations and her unfulfilled dreams of making it big.
Many a rich business tycoon want t her as their mistress , but she has refused them politely.
She dances at private parties , begs from shops and collects money from badhai or new birth .
She has a very jealous and possessive boy friend she told me , who hates her being photographed.
He was there but did not say a word to my taking her shots at Laxmis house , as she told him i was a healer and a Tantric Hijda photographer -a heterosexual photographer who shoots hijdas.
The pictures I shot at her house were raw primal and daring and baring.
This is a 1.25 GB card..I shall post it here at Flickr and than cross blog it at my Hijda Blogs at Word Press..
Filed under: Hijda -Eunuch.Com , connection of hijdas to haji malang, hijdas, laxmi narayan tripathi, muskan, salman khan, salman rushdie, thane
June 28, 2008 • 7:46 pm 0
photo courtesy
http://pagesperso-orange.fr/nicolas.chaudron/Images/Vortex%20de%20rats.jpg
like rabid racist rats
racist poets leaving a sinking ship
from a censorious poetry forum
where hate a slip between a cup and a stiff upperlip
where blonde witches of armageddon shoot from the hip
english boars fortunes dip
loose bowels adult diapers pip
racism a disease
too hard to nip
meta man whore from the atlantic
polar bears his balls do rip
a band master with a slaves whip
rusty old blades
in gay bars do strip
a howling scowling
sufi friendship
to koyna on a very long trip
himmler goebbels gave a slip
a star called david well equipped
his poetic mind in a memory chip
got poetry on a scouting trip
love poetry hate racism
humanity browbeaten
with a pistol grip
Filed under: Firoze Shakir -Poetry , love poetry hate racism, racist poets, rats leaving a sinking ship
• 11:50 am 0
photo courtesy
http://www.aionicstar.com/apotheosis.jpg
Stephe Feldman is brilliance that illuminates the dark corridors of human gender suffering..
I was inspired by her work to share these Hijda Eunuch blogs with all of you..
She has been very kind in linking my humble efforts on the Hijdas at her site that is a reservoir of unending knowledge of the Third Gender and the Two Spirit..
I did ask her a few questions she has answered ..
>I would love to know more about you
http://www.myspace.com/66747276 might help,
as might the
page at http://androgyne.0catch.com/psych.htm
Other than that, I am 49 years old, Jewish ethnically but I
am agnostic, I have clinical depression, am psychologically
androgynous and have Asperger’s Syndrome, which is like high
functioning autism. Here are links to info about Asperger’s:
http://www.aane.org/about_asperger_syndrome/what_is_asperger_syndrome.html
and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspergers_syndrome
and
http://www.udel.edu/bkirby/asperger/aswhatisit.html
>How did you come about spearheading this campaign of Eunuch
>awareness
It’s a long story, but this is basically it: I was supposed
to write a chapter about third gender people for a book called
Transgender Advances, but the editor of the project died.
Originally, I wanted to mount the argument that hijras and
two-spirits — and even Brazil’s travestis — were third gender
and therefore androgyne. Along the way in my research, however,
I found that they didn’t fit together nearly as nicely as I’d
wished. Resultingly, I no longer equate androgynes to hijras
and two-spirits. Fooey. 
Regardless, I still consider intersex people, two-spirits
and hijras to be spiritual brethren, since they come closest to
the androgyne experience.
Interestingly, I learned that both hijras and two-spirits
often refer to themselves as “not men, not women,” and I find
this more than a coincidence. And androgynes can be considered
to be “not men, not women,” of course.
I could be wrong, but I think there is a wide variety of
hijra self-conception: some identify as transsexual, some as
androgyne, some as sexless, some as eunuch, some as third gender,
and so on.
>for me you are the star — for illuminating the dark lives of
>the transgender.
>It was your Androgyny site that made me write my hijda eunuch
>blogs
Thanks. I put a lot of effort into my hijra and two-spirit
< http://androgyne.0catch.com/2spiritx.htm > pages.
That’s good to know. I’m glad that I’ve led to the creation
of other indispensable sources of information.
>thanks
You’re welcome.
Androgyne Online
Androgyny is a State of Mind
Androgyne (pronounced AN-dra-jine) is the term used to describe persons who are androgynous. Androgyny, first and foremost, is a state of mind, not just an attitude or fashion statement. The notion that only androgynous-looking people can be or are androgynous is a misconception. Androgynes can be said to have the gender identity of both a man and a woman — or neither. Some identify with both traditional genders, while others see their identity as more of a synthesis and consider themselves to be agendered, as in “other” or “none of the above.” Some androgynes go as far as to call themselves “gender outlaw” (a term popularized by Kate Bornstein).
Not All Androgynous People Are Androgynes
Contrary to popular belief, having an androgynous appearance does not necessarily make a person (an) androgyne. Many transsexuals are transsexual without looking at all like the opposite sex, and many androgynes are androgyne without looking the part. The word androgynous can apply to both superficial and psychological characteristics, whereas the word androgyne pertains almost specifically to gender identity, not to looks. Just as all squares are rectangles but not all rectangles are squares, all androgynes are (psychologically) androgynous but not all androgynous(-looking) people are androgynes.
Many psychological androgynes do not understand who and what they are. They may agonize for years, wondering how it is that they can feel androgynous if they don’t look that way. Self-perception and self-identification are often problematic for androgynes because, in many cases, their androgyneity is not readily apparent.
Androgynes Are of a Non-Polarized Gender
The term transgender tends to confuse androgynes because it is generally polarized into crossdressers (formerly known as transvestites) on one side and transsexuals on the other. Setting the two categories up as opposites implies that transgender individuals either want to wear the other sex’s clothes or else want to change their anatomy to match the other sex. Androgynes, however, may well want to wear the other sex’s clothing, but they do not want to change their anatomy to match the other sex — although some may opt for partial changes to make themselves more physically androgynous. What differentiates androgynes from crossdressers and transsexuals is that they do not identify fully with either masculinity or femininity: they are either somewhere in between the two, or they consider themselves to be something else entirely. Other names for androgyne (Greek for man/woman) are agendered, ambigendered, epicene, gender gifted, gender outlaw, intergendered (a term coined by intersex people), non-binary gender variant, nongendered, the third gender, and the fourth gender. Related but non-synonymous terms would be eunuch, bigendered (which applies mostly to crossdressers), gender bender, genderqueer, gender variant, hijra, neutrois, the third sex (which is usually a misnomer), transgenderist, and two-spirit.
The terms crossdresser, transgender, queer and even the seemingly more focused terms gender variant and genderqueer tend to be too vague in that they all have macrocosmic (umbrella) and microcosmic (specific) meanings. The term transgender is especially problematic in that it can imply that one changes from one gender to another, which in the case of androgynes generally does not apply: once androgynes find themselves, masculinity and femininity often cease to be polarities for them. At first, newly self-aware androgynes may feel a need to explore those aspects of themselves that they have long repressed due to peer pressure or self-censure, but once absorbed, the aspects are re-incorporated into the individual’s identity — which is a solitary persona.
Sex, Sexual Orientation, and Gender Identity are Three Different Things
Key to understanding androgyneity is a schema wherein sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity are three separate and different things. Sex denotes one’s gonadal makeup, where one can be male, female, or intersex (previously called hermaphrodite). Sexual orientation reflects the sort(s) of person to whom one is attracted for sexual purposes, where one can be attracted to males, to females, to intersex people, to any combination of the three, or be asexual. (The terms heterosexual, homosexual and bisexual are problematic for the intersexed because the intersexed are not always clearly male or female.) Gender identity refers to how one views oneself. A person can consider themselves to be a man (masculine), a woman (feminine), or androgyne (man/masculine and woman/feminine simultaneously, or neither).
Although sex and gender identity are two very different things, it is interesting to note that androgyneity, when conceptualized as intergender, can be seen as the psychological counterpart to intersex. Androgynes are intermediate in gender, while intersex(ed) folks are sexually intermediate. Basically, sex refers to what’s between your legs, while gender refers to what’s between your ears. That said, some intersex activists opine that androgynes have intersex brains (and that transsexuals are intersex on account of the relationship between their brains and their genitalia).
Pinpointing the sexuality of transgender people is difficult because there can be a double-vision situation in which one partner self-identifies and interprets the interplay of genders and sexes one way, while the other partner self-identifies and interprets it another way. An example of this is the non-op transsexual who considers relations with a same-sex partner to be heterosexual because of their gender identities, while said partner considers the relationship to be homosexual because of the sets of genitalia involved. An alternative to constructions of this nature is offered in the 2007 book, Bisexual Health: An Introduction and Model Practice for HIV/STI Prevention Programming, where bisexuality is defined as “the capacity for emotional, romantic and/or physical attraction to more than one sex or gender. That capacity for attraction may or may not manifest itself in terms of sexual interaction.” This formulation could prove to be revolutionary because it not only distinguishes between sex and gender while combining the two, but eliminates the need to resort to the terms pansexual and queer.
There are Four Components of Gender
A misreading of the 1989 book Gender Trouble by Judith Butler is responsible for the widespread misconception among academics and activists that all gender is just a performance. As Riki Wilchins points out in the 2004 book Queer Theory, Gender Theory: An Instant Primer (pp. 132-34), what Butler really said was that gender is performatively produced. Performative is defined as an utterance that performs an act or creates a state of affairs, an example being the use of the phrase “I now pronounce you man and wife” to create a marriage. Butler herself refutes the notion of gender being just a performance. The phenomenon of transsexualism refutes it, too.
There are actually four components of gender: identity, presentation, performance, and role. Gender identity concerns how you think about yourself, gender presentation describes how you look physically and sartorially, gender performance pertains to how you act or comport yourself, and gender role refers to what you do for a living and what you contribute to the domestic sphere. Taken together, the last three components comprise gender expression. Gender identity is internal, whereas gender expression is external, and that is why not all androgynous-looking people are androgynes.
Getting People to Accept Androgyne as a Gender Identity Isn’t Easy
For most people, the idea of an androgynous gender identity goes in one ear and out the other; it simply doesn’t register. They see no evidence of it, never heard of it before, and assume they never will again, so the concept is rejected almost as soon as it is articulated. This cannot be emphasized enough. Even when the idea is reiterated, the reaction is usually the same: it is assumed to be faulty data. Society at large dictates that gender is binary, and androgyne is not one of the two binary genders. Convincing someone that androgyne is an authentic gender identity is difficult because people are programmed to believe that it isn’t.
Even LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender) people tend to assume that a third gender does not exist. Hate crimes against LGBT people are primarily based on perceived violations of gender norms, not sexual transgression, so you’d think that convincing LGBT people would be easier, but it’s often not because they tend not to see the connection. Even androgynes have trouble discovering and affirming their own nature, no thanks to society’s insistence on the gender binary.
Some Transsexuals are Not Really Transsexual, but Androgyne
There is such a thing as a transsexual androgyne or androgyne transsexual, but they are transsexual by virtue of GRS (genital reassignment surgery), not gender identity. One cannot claim to be a man or woman and still be (an) androgyne, because androgynes are of a third gender: they are either a combination of the two binary genders or the absence of both of them. They can’t be (just) one of the two binary genders. One reason why the terms male-born and female-born are applied to androgynes is in deference to different sets of life experience, but another is to differentiate them from post-operative androgynes, who are not (trans)men and not (trans)women.
Some transsexuals are not actually transsexual but androgyne, yet because they don’t realize nor understand it right away (if ever), they view androgyny as little more than a distasteful intermediate stage of transformation, until they discover the underlying androgyne nature within themselves, which often causes them to reevaluate their situation to the point of renouncing transition.
Androgynes Can Be “Tranny” and “Transamorous” at the Same Time
At one point, the common nickname for transgender individuals was “tranny,” but the term has since split, creating a situation where most people use the term to describe gender variance in general, whereas TSs (transsexuals) tend to think the term applies only to them. The T community’s (largely derisive) term for those who are attracted to trannies in the wider sense is “trannychaser,” and it is indeed a problematic term (especially since it has been theorized that chasers are transgendered themselves) in that it seems to imply something akin to “skirtchaser,” “ladykiller,” “ladies’ man,” or other such “womanizer,” but it has been euphemized as “admirer.” The trouble is, there is as yet no commonly accepted term for those who have romantic feelings for transgender people, although the term “transamorous” seems viable. The partner of a transgender individual is referred to as a TGSO (TransGender’s Significant Other).
It has been observed that androgynes do not have a “gender-based opposite.” In light of the fact that many reincarnational theories hold that souls have no gender (they are neither male nor female, and that’s why we reincarnate as both men and women), it can be argued that mutual attraction between androgynes is deeply spiritual.
Interestingly, this lack of a gender-based opposite frees androgynes to be both tranny and transamorous simultaneously. For example, when a male-born androgyne who doesn’t know that sie is androgyne finds hirself attracted to drag queens and/or M2F (male-to-female) transsexuals and daydreams of dressing like a woman hirself, the situation can be frustrating because drag queens and transsexuals are generally attracted to single-gendered straight males. The androgyne mistakenly thinks that sie is attracted to male-born TG (transgendered) people when, in actuality, sie is not attracted to male-born TGs per se but to their androgynous aspects. It’s not unusual for an androgyne to confuse a TG’s external traits with idealized internal traits.
If You Think You Are Androgyne, You May Well Be
How do you know whether or not you’re androgyne? It really boils down to what you yourself think. Do you consider yourself to have masculine character traits and feelings as well as feminine character traits and feelings to the extent that you feel repressed if you deny either of these for any extended period of time? If so, you may well be androgyne. It is a common truism that no one is entirely masculine or entirely feminine, yet androgynes’ feelings of identity run deeper than this. For them, it is not a vestigial or incidental overlap of traits, but an inherent, vital component of their being. There are several online tests for gauging gender identity, but this site does not endorse them because it has been argued rather convincingly that the tests are skewed and deeply flawed. Nevertheless, these tests can be helpful in giving people at least something to go on in their quest to find themselves.
For female-born androgynes, it is often difficult to distinguish between “andro,” “boi,” “butch,” “genderqueer,” “F2M” (female-to-male transsexual), “queer,” and “tomboy” because society’s taboos against relatively masculine presentation and/or traits among females have relaxed over the years, as have injunctions against their wearing clothing of the opposite sex. When a gender variant female does not think of hirself as being androgyne, sie may nevertheless be androgyne; hir reference points and nomenclature come from a different place from that of male-born androgynes. One would think that there would be more commonality between male-born and female-born androgynes, but the two groups tend to grow up with different life experiences and perspectives.
Androgyne Awareness is Elusive
Androgynes are not easily quantified due to the vagueness of the nomenclature: no one seems to be able to agree on what to call them, but the terms genderqueer and non-binary gender variant are gaining prominence. Not only are the talk shows unaware of them, but most androgynes themselves are not aware of who or what they are. Much has been written and said about crossdressers and transsexuals, but little research has been conducted on androgynes.
In a way, androgyny is a double-edged sword. Those born with androgynous looks — especially if they are not androgynes — often wish that their gender presentation was unambiguous so as to not be teased, harassed or mistaken for the opposite sex, while androgynes born without androgynous looks (i.e. psychological androgynes) often wish that their gender presentation was markedly ambiguous so as to convey outwardly what they feel inwardly.
It has been argued variously that androgynes are not transgender(ed) in that they do not change their gender but remain the gender they were born with, that they do not crossdress unless they dress like men or women, and that if you define androgyne as someone who is half man and half woman, that could be interpreted as meaning that the person is neither man nor woman since 50% of one thing and 50% of another is neither.
Are Androgynes Genderqueer or Two-spirited?
There is the possibility that the term “genderqueer” might replace “androgyne.” Like transgender, genderqueer can be an umbrella term or it can refer to something more specific. Generally, transgender can be said to encompass gender variance from crossdresser to transsexual, or else it can be used as a synonym for transsexual. Similarly, genderqueer can be said to encompass everything from crossdresser to transsexual, or else it can be used to describe non-binary gender variants specifically. Many argue that androgyne reinforces the gender binary by invoking the two polar genders in its very name. Some genderqueer and gender variant folk say that there are as many genders as there are stars in the sky. Genderqueer is a political term which strives to transcend and dismantle the gender binary both in concept and practice. And yet, androgyne has an inherent specificity that genderqueer does not because it directly addresses the man/woman dialectic and could therefore prove to be more durable in the long run. Non-binary gender variant is more specific, but it’s a mouthful and pre-supposes familiarity with academic concepts.
The non-native temptation to use the Native-American term “two-spirit” (instituted in 1991) is great, but has generally been frowned upon by Native Americans, even though the term was created in tandem by native and non-native anthropologists. Historically, most two-spirits (then referred to indiscriminately as berdaches by non-native anthropologists) had the gender identity of an androgyne, displayed the gender presentation of androgyne, and lived in an androgyne gender role, and some even exhibited androgyny in the remaining component of gender (gender performance). Maybe sometime in the future, after the term’s misappropriation by the native and non-native gay communities is sorted out, Native Americans will come to recognize non-native androgynes as two-spirits, even though the shamanic elements of the term tend not to be embodied by non-natives.
[In early 2005, an article about this website appeared in Transgender Tapestry magazine, which is a publication of IFGE (the International Foundation for Gender Education). The article is a more concise version of the essay above.]
Preliminary Links
Psychological Androgyny (a personal take on androgyneity; not to be taken as gospel)
FAQ[L]s — a “FAQ” is a list of Frequently Asked Questions; “FAQL” means Frequently Asked Questions List
Androgyny RAQ (”Androgyny Rarely Asked Questions”) [the site's name is an attempt at levity]
Intersex FAQ at ISGI (concerning people formerly called “hermaphrodite”)
Neutrois FAQ (neutrois means non-gendered class; they don’t consider themselves to be androgynes)
IFAS: The International Foundation for Androgynous Studies Inc [if that doesn't work, try this alternate URL ]
IFGE: The International Foundation for Gender Education — www.ifge.org
ISNA: The Intersex Society of North America (concerning people formerly called “hermaphrodite”)
ISGI: Intersex Support Group International (concerning people formerly called “hermaphrodite”)
OII: The Organisation Internationale des Intersexué-e-s (Organization Intersex International)
Why the intergender community is so important to the intersex community by Curtis E. Hinkle
Neutrois (neutrois means non-gendered class; they don’t consider themselves to be androgynes) [a defunct site]
Sphere (transgenderism and androgyny from a transman, F2M, and female androgyne perspective) [a defunct site]
Transgenderists: When Self-Identification Challenges Transgender Stereotypes [midway between androgyne and TS?]
Primary Links [click on folder icon to expand this section ] (over 100 additional relevant links)
Secondary Links [click on folder icon to expand this section ] (some related TS and TG links)
http://hijdaeunuchblog.wordpress.com/
Filed under: Hijda -Eunuch.Com , androgyny online, hijdaeunuchblog
June 27, 2008 • 10:07 am 0
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Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, the eunuch who made news when a documentary on her life was screened at the Mumbai Festival and television channels, will be seen as a contestant on Salman’s TV show “Dus Ka Dum”.
During the recording of the show, Laxmi’s quick wit, humour and nakhras had everyone rolling in laughter. Laxmi dispelled some age-old myths about the transgender community.
Laxmi is a post-graduate and works for social causes in her community. She is one of the 11 people and the first transgender person to be selected to represent the community at the UN to work for human rights.
Tall, impressive and articulate, Laxmi lost in the knockout round much to the disappointment of everyone there.
Salman was particularly disappointed with Laxmi’s departure.
And if you think Laxmi is an exception to the eunuch community, then watch out for her beautiful companion whom Salman invited to come back as a contestant on the show!
The Dus Ka Dum episode featuring Laxmi will be aired on Friday on Sony Entertainment Television.
courtesy Sony Entertainment Television..
Filed under: Firoze Shakir Bollywoods Most Wanted
June 26, 2008 • 4:40 pm 0
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a malang gave me the shivas eye
for luck
he said
all good things
to your life will be stuck
a lotus rejuvenated
rising from the muck
Filed under: Firoze Shakir Bollywoods Most Wanted
• 4:27 pm 0
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a grand father
a grand daughter to wit
she six month old
with the shia pandit
a part of a whole
of a family skit
a shakir
every bit
our monotonous lives
with her arrival she lit
our newest member
a total hit
Filed under: Firoze Shakir Bollywoods Most Wanted
• 1:48 am 0
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photo courtesy
www.isical.ac.in/~malapati_r/googler.jpg
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Filed under: Firoze Shakir Bollywoods Most Wanted
• 1:39 am 0
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photo by dr glenn losack md
bathing ghats BENARES INDIA
the ascent to NIRVANA
I want your honest opinion about this……….
In the past weeks i have what i think entered into a different realm of producing imagery. It is not just abstract digital imagery, it is the original photograph transformed into a new realm of perceiving and understanding.
Recently i have discovered an astonishingly new approach to my work using very modest ( and not at all super involved ) elements of technology to enhance a basic photograph to a newer, and what i believe an innovative level that
many to whom i have shown have expressed their delight with.
The basic photograph is not lost . However there are elements of symmetry, emphasis, repetition, fusion and inclusion at times of wondrous detailed and sometimes bizarre primordial designs.
This has come to me with such delight and passion, it all has me in a hypnotized state.
My aim is not to be obtrusive. It is meant to further understanding and exploration.
” A Psychiatrists’ view of this world”
www.glennlosackmd.com
Filed under: Firoze Shakir Bollywoods Most Wanted
June 25, 2008 • 5:37 pm 0
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photo by dr glenn losack md
Glenn Losack featured in LOCUM LIFE magazine JULY 2008
Enjoying the rewards of a locum tenens lifestyle
Glenn Losack, MD
dek
Because of locum tenens, I am able to continue my career in medicine while following my dreams and passions—making art and music, and entertaining people.
dek
Having worked as a psychiatrist for the past 23 years, I basically thought that I had done it all, from director of a large dual-diagnosis and addiction hospital to a physician in private practice and day treatment programs. But after returning from an 8-month world tour sabbatical, I found myself without permanent employment and decided to give locum tenens a try. That was in 1995. Since then, I have taken about 50 opportunities exclusively through Jackson & Coker based in Alpharetta, Georgia, and have no interest in returning to traditional practice.
PRACTICING BEHIND BARS
In the last 5 years, I have alternated between state prison facilities and outpatient clinics in the Mid-Atlantic tri-state region. Usually, I am able to schedule most contracts within an hour’s commute from home, although I often stay overnight at hotels for convenience. More than half of the time, I am asked to extend my contracts because these facilities have had a hard time finding permanent replacements. This arrangement presently suits my needs because I do not have to spend a lot of time commuting from the populated metropolitan area where I live.
Lately, I have found that there is a tremendous demand for correctional psychiatry, and I am constantly getting requests for temporary coverage at these institutions. The maximum security prison system is a different world and the practice environment can be rough. But the remuneration is better and these opportunities offer great experience in another dimension of psychiatry with plenty of challenge and interest. In the corrections setting, you are exposed to the psychopathology of criminal psychiatry, forensic psychiatry, and the anti-social character, among others. Unfortunately, the patient turn-around is rather brisk, and I do not get to spend a lot of time with the prisoners—which I like to do.
The relationships I have formed with colleagues and support staff at the various facilities, thus far, have been exemplary. It is often difficult to say goodbye to those you have formed close relationships with at these temporary opportunities.
IN PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
The beauty of this practice option is the flexibility it offers. It gives me time to enjoy what I love in life—which is the reason I decided to go this route and to stay. In the very beginning of my locum tenens practice, I did the expected 4 to 5 days a week, and had opportunities that lasted as long as 6 months. Eventually, I realized that I missed my quality time. Now, I accept contracts 6 to 7 months a year, providing services 10 to 12 hours per day, usually 2 to 3 days a week.
Locum tenens has given me back my life. I earn enough money to live comfortably and still have plenty of time for my true passions, namely world travel, photography, music, and doing charity work abroad. I consider myself fortunate to have visited over 50 countries. As a photojournalist, I have been especially humbled to experience third world communities that are thousands of years old. Living in the Dominican Republic for many years afforded me the opportunity to extensively photograph the people of this island nation. While traversing the world, I have survived the tsunami of 2004, typhoons in Bangladesh, earthquakes in India, civil war in Sri Lanka, election chaos in the Dominican Republic, and of course, 9/11 in New York City. India is a place deeply felt in my heart
and i have photographed it extensively over the past 20 years.
It has always been a dream of mine to be a photographer for National Geographic. In April 2008, this wish was granted when one of the photographs that I shot in the Dominican Republic was published in the magazine. I also recently won a second award from National Geographic, photo of the month MAY 2008. My photos also have appeared in Popular Photography and American Photography, and I have a website devoted to my work. When I am not behind the camera, I compose popular songs and tunes in the music studio in my home. And I am working on a children’s book, Bearly Fit, that I hope will be published soon. There are a lot of great things happening to me, and I think it has a lot to do with my being a locum tenens doctor. I dedicate more time to Photography and music than i do to my career.
LENDING A HELPING HAND
Because I am able to set my own schedule, locum tenens has also enabled me to take a variety of international excursions where I can expand and share my medical knowledge. I have met and interacted with colleagues from Thailand, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Viet Nam, and Peru, to name a few. Plus I have lectured at seminars, talked to medical students, and conducted symposiums.
Additionally, I have had the opportunity to do volunteer work in India, Thailand, and Cambodia through such organizations as the Medical Benevolence Foundation and Asha, where I have donated time and money to their AIDS efforts in India. While in these remote locations, I have done fieldwork, helping to diagnose certain illness in the rural areas.
In 2008, I visited several hospitals in India; one of them was the General Psychiatric Hospital in Miraj and the Richardson Leprosy hospital in Miraj, where i was allowed to photograph. I also met with psychiatrists in Nasik and Goa. At the Nasik Mental Hospital, I lunched and dined with 13 colleagues. While there, I gave a small talk on America’s treatment of the mentally ill, comparing the medications, especially the newer ones. It is fascinating to see how similar treatments are in our countries. Afterward, I was given a tour of two facilities and, of course, allowed to take photos.
After returning from my latest 2-month solo tour of that country, where I shot 8,500 images, my staffing company representative immediately called me to provide services at two maximum-security prisons. I have been covering 3 days a week since April. In July, I intend on cutting back to 1 day a week so I can work on my book, music, or maybe even get a suntan.
I recommend locum tenens as a perfect practice alternative for physicians who are tired of the 9-to-5 routine and want to pursue other interests—or for those who just want to get away from congested urban centers. Some doctors may be hesitant to try this lifestyle because they are hung up on the security and benefits of traditional practice. However, it is an excellent option for someone like me—but then again, there are not many like me…or are there?
The truth is, if it were not for the locum tenens lifestyle, I would just be another frustrated hardworking MD, bringing home a paycheck and ignoring my true passions in life. With this practice option, it is my choice, my options, my preference. LL
Glen Losack, MD, a board-certified psychiatrist, is also a musician, world traveler, seasoned photographer, international medical lecturer, and charity worker. Visit HYPERLINK “http://www.glennlosackmd.com” www.glennlosackmd.com to view more captivating examples of his work.
Filed under: Firoze Shakir Bollywoods Most Wanted
• 8:33 am 0
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Filed under: Dard E Disco - Film Shoot
• 8:33 am 0
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Filed under: Dard E Disco - Film Shoot
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