Artifact 2: The Third Gender
Hamilton, Collin M
BI-218X
The term Khawaja sara is used in the Pakistani culture for those that are identified as male at birth and then decide that they want to identify as the female gender. These Khawaja are officially recognized by the government as a third gender being not completely male or female. In addition to Pakistan, six other countries officially recognize a third gender. These countries are Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Germany, New Zealand, and Australia.
Although receiving public recognition by the government, they are often publicly shamed by the general public. Often seen as a breach in public decency due to laws and social stigma placed on the Khawaja during the British occupation of India called the Raj. During this time, they were subjugated to harsh traditional Christian influenced laws. One such law was the Criminal Tribes Act of 1871 which forced them to strict monitoring, social stigma, and compulsory registration. Many of the Khawaja live in separate communities than that of the main population due to these continuing social stigmas still associated with them from the time of the British Raj. Before the British Raj, Khawaja sara were a part of South Asian society for centuries. During the progressive era of the Mughal Empire, some served as Military Generals, Court Royals, and Harem managers.
Although official recognized as non-binary by the government, the Khawaja sara of Pakistan are still not recognized as a third gender by the general public due to residual social stigma based off of former and current religious views. They are humiliated and disgraced by their own people because of the way that they feel and wish to present themselves.
https://news.vice.com/article/officially-recognized-but-publicly-shamed-transgender-life-in-pakistan