Gender Diversity in Indian society: Identity distinction between Hijra and Transgender
Ethnomethodological explanation of the social construction of gender highlighted the natural attitude of society towards binary gender categories (men-women); gender groups other than men and women are socially and culturally rejected. Gender in everyday life is a kind of displaying appearances and behaviour in the forms of masculinity and femininity. Gender is also described as the performanceof individuals in their everyday life. The binary gender system (men-women) is perceived as normal or socially acceptable because of the “natural attitude” (preconceived notion regarding gender) regarding certain fixed social roles and behaviour of men and women. The paper has examined how the social construction of gender contradicts gender diversity. There are four gender categories in Indian society: Men, women, transgender and third gender (Hijra). It has shown the distinction between transgender and third gender identity in Indian society. Hijra is a native third gender category in India, thatstructurally contradicted the compulsory binary gender system but transgender or transsexuals arein favour of fluidity of sexual orientation or sexual preferences.