Beware of hoax transgenders

Not all transgenders seen on streets belong to the community. There are imposters of transgenders who bully and extort people for money. “Most of these imposters are called as Beharupiyas,” says Vyjayanti Vasanta Mogli, member of Telangana Hijra Intersex Transgender Samiti (THITS).

According to leaders of Hijra community of Hyderabad, there are about 1.5 lakh Beharupiyas in the city. Beharupiya is one of the oldest communities in India where people wear costumes and entertain others for money. But there are Beharupiyas who also disguise themselves like transgenders and bully the commuters at traffic signals.

“Meanwhile real transgenders, owing to unemployment in other sectors, beg on the streets and are guided by their guru. They have traditions and instructions to follow their guru which does not involve bullying people for money. The imposters behave rudely and extort people. They put their hands in the pants and pockets and forcefully pull out money,” said Rachana.

“According to the Telangana Government Census report, there are around 5,500 transgenders in Hyderabad who are miniscule compared to 1.5 lakh imposters in the city,” say Hijra community leaders. Bittu Karthik, a member of THITS, explains, “Beharupiyas do not have any feminine identity or mannerisms. They wear loosely fitted blouses which no transwoman would; they are never interested in talking to me about their transgender experience which is the immediate clue.

They are mostly chronic alcoholics who are very aggressive about getting money. Certainly they are a blot on the integrity of transgender beggars who are more marginalised due to class and caste oppression.” Generally people cannot recognise the difference between Hijra and an imposter. They tend to donate money to both. “I once happened to confront an imposter of a Hijra at a traffic signal in Mehdipatnam.

Usually the imposters do not want to be recognised as not a trandgender. So I being a transgender confronted and questioned them. They couldn’t answer and ran away,” said Vijayanti. “Leading a life that feels trapped in someone else’s body, fight for their existence, to be mistreated by people, leaving family for forever is already harsh enough for a transgender to live in the society. But taking advantage of our dissimilarity with the society and our traditional occupation of begging is cheap and is a shame for them,” lament Rachana, Vijayanti and Bittu.

By:Suharika K Rachavelpula