--- description: In the next frontier of the LGBT civil rights movement, being labeled as 'other' may offer unprecedented legal rights title: India Recognizes Third Gender image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6c241f1e1fed43a2/69868abfcd684857b9094264/1341511211.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Men, Women and 'Hijras': India Recognizes Third Gender  by [Francesca Trianni](/author/francesca-trianni/)  ## Francesca Trianni Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 15, 2014 7:46 PM CUT  NEW DELHI, INDIA - NOVEMBER 27: A boy dances as he and others participate during the 4th Delhi Queer Pride 2011 March on November 27, 2011 in New Delhi, India. India's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community celebrated the 4th Delhi Queer Pride March with a parade through the streets of Delhi. People gathered to protest violence, harassment and discrimination faced by the LGBT community in India. (Photo by Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images) NEW DELHI, INDIA - NOVEMBER 27: A boy dances as he and others participate during the 4th Delhi Queer Pride 2011 March on November 27, 2011 in New Delhi, India. India's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community celebrated the 4th Delhi Queer Pride March with a parade through the streets of Delhi. People gathered to protest violence, harassment and discrimination faced by the LGBT community in India. (Photo by Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)Daniel Berehulak –Getty Images  by [Francesca Trianni](/author/francesca-trianni/)  ## Francesca Trianni Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 15, 2014 7:46 PM CUT Transgender people in India have always had to define themselves on government forms as either a “male” or “female.” But that is about to change. In a landmark ruling, India’s Supreme Court has [recognized](http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-27031180 "undefined") a third gender option to be created for transgender people, or “Hijras,” as they are often referred to in South Asia. “The spirit of the \[Indian\] Constitution is to provide equal opportunity to every citizen to grow and attain their potential, irrespective of caste, religion or gender,” the court said in its order, which is expected to alleviate the conditions of transgender people in India, through access to welfare programs, employment opportunities and education. India’s Election Commission [allowed](http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/indias-top-court-recognizes-gender-category-23328067 "undefined") a third gender of “other” on voter registration forms for [this year’s election](http://time.com/50062/elections-india-indonesia-video-guide/ "undefined"). Nearly 30,000 people designated themselves as “other” and there are an estimated 2 million transgender individuals in India, the [Associated Press reported](http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/indias-top-court-recognizes-gender-category-23328067 "undefined"). India is not the first country to recognize a third gender, as Nepal and Bangladesh have also passed similar legislation. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/63801/men-women-and-hijras-india-recognizes-third-gender/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/63801/men-women-and-hijras-india-recognizes-third-gender/"},"headline":"Men, Women and 'Hijras': India Recognizes Third Gender","datePublished":"2014-04-15T19:46:15.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T07:19:11.253Z","description":"In the next frontier of the LGBT civil rights movement, being labeled as 'other' may offer unprecedented legal rights","url":"https://time.com/63801/men-women-and-hijras-india-recognizes-third-gender/","keywords":["India"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6c241f1e1fed43a2/69868abfcd684857b9094264/1341511211.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Francesca Trianni","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/francesca-trianni/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6c241f1e1fed43a2/69868abfcd684857b9094264/1341511211.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Indias LGBT Community Celebrates 4th Queer Pride March","caption":"Indias LGBT Community Celebrates 4th Queer Pride March","creditText":"Daniel Berehulak –Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/63801/men-women-and-hijras-india-recognizes-third-gender/","name":"Men, Women and 'Hijras': India Recognizes Third Gender"}}]}] ```