‘Like everyone else, I was also conceived by my mother for ten months and ten days, causing her insufferable pain during my birth. But, thanks to the unknown whim of the creator, how different we are from the others of the society! We are incomplete human beings, though made of flesh and blood. And we are tired of the hatred inflicted upon us because of this difference. People call me ‘Hijra’ (hermaphrodite), or ‘Mafu’ or ‘Kuti’. When I grew up, the members of my family became aware of the incompleteness of my body, and drove me out, compelling me to seek refuge into the society of the hermaphrodites. It is our tradition to sing and dance during marriage ceremonies and performing other pranks. This is our only source of income, barely sufficient though.’ Shukla could not continue anymore.

Govindapur, where Shukla lives now, is only four miles from Comilla city. Though under the Sadar Upazila, it is a suburb nonetheless. People of different low-income groups inhabit the slum-like area where Shukla lives with many others of her kind named Bhabna, Pinky, Zindegy, and so on.

Though the exact number of hermaphrodites living in Comilla is not correctly known, it is nearly 200. They are scattered over Mogaltuly, Shasangacha, Satra, Rammala, Dhulipara and Govindapur. At Govindapur live 70 of them, their main source of income being dancing and singing. They sometimes wear the dress of males, sometimes that of females, showing signs of a mixture of male and female behaviour. Though the social species known by various names, e.g. ‘Hijra’, ‘Chibri’, ‘Khonja’, ‘Klib’, ‘Pota’, etc., arouses curiosity of others, people’s attitude towards it is that of fear and suspicion. They are poor, with many of them involved with the criminal world, and subject to our contempt and pity. Their only legal income is earned by singing and dancing on the occasions celebrating births and marriages, but it does not guarantee them three square meals.

Pinki lives with her ‘Guruma’ (the female preceptor) who gets a share of what her disciples earn, the total income of them per day being equally divided at first.

According to Bhabna, a professional homosexual, ‘I had been living in Chittagong since my childhood when I came here four months back. Recently, I caught fever and diarrhea all of a sudden, losing much weight, and I have also been suffering from ‘Jalna’ (both syphilis and gonorrhea). As a result of all these diseases my business is at a stake. I had partners of all kinds, that is, released inmates of gaols, janitors and people of all walks of life. I have come here for earning more.’ Recently, the Guruma of Shukla and Pinki, named Marjina Nimmi visited Khulna where she spent a busy time attending different development interventions / activities held at the brothel / red light district, and became aware of HIV/AIDS. This recently acquired consciousness made her take Pinki to the Medical College Hospital for treatment as soon as the latter caught fever and oral thirst.

In a society based on marriage and reproduction, sexuality other than the most prevailing one is not welcome at all, though it is generally thought that cognizance of sex is the cognizance of self.

The hermaphrodite society is a great refuge of the people of other sexuality. Once accepted into the fold of the society, one can easily be engaged in prostitution without concealing one’s identity. In the context of the sexual behaviour of the hermaphrodites a police officer commented, ‘They are engaged in a sort of prostitution and consider homosexuality a part of life. Homosexuality is rampant among the older inmates of different prisons. The new inmates, especially the adolescents, are often sexually harassed.’

Of all the sexual perversions, oral sex is one (?). According to a survey conducted on the hermaphrodites and street children, 88% of the hermaphrodites performed / had oral sex per week. Of them, only 5% used condoms. A survey conducted on 407 MSM (men who have sex with men) sex workers has revealed that their age ranges from 11 to 50, and 55% them belong to the age group18 – 24. In one week, 94% of them had sex with men in exchange of money, and in most of the cases of these professional sexual unions they did not adopt any protective measures.

Iva, a member of the working committee of the National Association for Lesbian and Gay Liberation, in her essay on (?) said that bisexuality is the standard of normal sexual behaviour in our society. But according to the specialists (of what?), affinity for homosexuality is innate/ congenital. No one can become homosexual at will. According to Dr. Abdur Mannan, a skin and STD specialist, ‘Anal sex is very risky, because during anal sex the mucus diaphragm in the anus may get ruptured which expedites HIV/AIDS infection. Since gays have anal sex, they are likely to spread HIV/AIDS, because a woman sex worker has no way of knowing whether her male partner has got any relationship with any other man or not. So, for a woman sex worker, a male homosexual partner is more threatening than other male partners. And of course, a direct or indirect relationship among them poses great threat for all of them.

Of the 8.3 million people who became HIV infected in Asia in 2005, 2.0 million were woman and 0.4 million died of the disease. In India, the number of HIV infected has risen to 5 million, posing immense threat of spreading widely in its neighbouring country Bangladesh.

Most of the people of our country don’t pay a visit to a doctor even after catching a disease. Moreover, in rural areas, no adequate system is available for diagnosing the disease. According to the survey conducted by WHO, UNAIDS and FHI, there are 7,500 HIV infected people in Bangladesh. If the estimate is correct, we are to take more effective measures to prevent AIDS.

According to Sharmin Quader, the executive director of Drishti, a local NGO, ‘We have started working with the hermaphrodites this year, But they are a very secretive / hidden group of people. In comparison to the common sex workers, they are cent percent more likely to spread HIV/AIDS. Drishti, through the Dropping Centre has been providing health services at the its health clinic twice a week under its HIV and STI Prevention Project.

Though the hermaphrodites live a precarious life in terms of fulfilling their basic needs, they are carrying out their fight through arrogant attitude, abusive language and indecency to daunt away the grinning jeer of the society. This is how Pinki, Bhabna, Shukla and the likes of them are trying to live.