According to the norms of the hijras community, it's not necessary that one be castrated. Castration is your choice. If you do it, testosterone doesn…

- Laxmi Narayan Tripathi

I was first sexually exploited when I was seven, by a distant cousin at a family wedding. Even after that I was routinely molested by older cousins a…

- Laxmi Narayan Tripathi

I advocate for people who believe sex work is work. But women have so many avenues open. In the same way, a trans woman or a hijra should have that m…

- Laxmi Narayan Tripathi

Being called gay is worse than transgender. I remember when I started fighting way back in 1999 for hijas' rights, and I said the state doesn't have …

- Laxmi Narayan Tripathi

When I started meeting members of the hijra community, it was a whole different ballgame. They were like me. This was the first time I felt that I wa…

- Laxmi Narayan Tripathi

I try to educate people. I've told the hijra community that it's not about getting breasts or having sexual reassignment surgery. First we need our r…

- Laxmi Narayan Tripathi

People believe that if a hijra curses you, bad things will happen. That God Ram blessed hijras with this power, that our blessings and curses will co…

- Laxmi Narayan Tripathi

I was a sick child, I was scared, and honestly speaking, I never thought about why I didn't tell anyone about my abuse. Abuse victims don't have all …

- Laxmi Narayan Tripathi

We, hijras, are not hypocrites. We live our sexuality openly, being truthful to our souls and our bodies. Science and doctors assigned something else…

- Laxmi Narayan Tripathi