Presenter
Birkenholtz Jessica Vantine - Pennsylvania State University, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, United StatesPanel
63 – Gender and Sexual Diversity in South Asia: Cultural Connections in Contemporary Practice, Activism, and AttitudesAbstract
Despite local and regional assumptions, there is no endemic cultural history of hijras in Nepal. This stands in stark contrast to India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, which have long, rich cultural histories of and contemporary religious practices associated with hijras (Reddy 2005, Nanda 1998, Nagar and DasGupta 2023, Hossain 2012 and 2018), tirunankais (Craddock 2023 and 2024), and kwajisaras (Khan 2016, Pamment 2019). What cultural sources or resonances, religious or otherwise, if any, undergird or are associated with Nepal’s queer community? This paper examines two historical connections Nepali queer activists have identified and promoted through their activism. The first focuses on Gai Jatra, an annual local Hindu celebration of death and cultural festival of satire that has been the occasion for Nepal’s oldest and most prominent Pride parade, Gai Jatra Pride since 2003. The second considers pioneering LGBT activist Sunil Babu Pant’s recent (2024) documentary titled “Ajima and the 6 Genders,” in which he argues for an indigenous spectrum of genders in the Kathmandu Valley. A third entity, the androgynous deity Matsyendranath, serves as a foil for understanding the first two cultural associations. I examine the historical claims and ethnic dynamics of these modern connections and their reception and significance in Nepal today, both within and outside of the queer community to think through the role of religion and culture in queer worldmaking in Nepal.
