Transgendered identities are not only acknowledged outside of western culture, but are part of many cultural upbringings that shape ones’ interpretation of gender. The Hijras of India and characters portrayed in ancient Chinese dramas including, The Male Queen, continue to bring to light transgendered and sexual identities. Hijras, are transgendered women in Indian culture that are raised as boys and undergo ritual removal of their genitals to become a Hijra. Hijras are culturally significant performers because said to be able give blessings for fertility and chastity on behave of their goddess Bahuchara Mata. Hijras are empowered through their identification of neither man nor woman after they undergo a surgery removing their male genitalia as explained by Serena Nanda, they also have no construction of a vagina leaving them with ambiguous sexual identity. This ambiguity is important to acknowledge because it changes the gender binary that western culture is so accustomed too. In her book, “Neither Man nor Woman: The Hijras of India,” Nanda explains that while Hijra women are considered to have significant roles in Indian Culture, Hijra women are impoverished and often turn to prostitution to be able to afford the costly surgery that makes them Hijras, as they are turned away from their families and previous social circles when transitioning into Hijras. While Hijras preform gender in their everyday lives, ancient Chinese dramas like The Male Queen preform gender on a stage. It is the context of the performance, and the relationship that is formed between the spectator and the performer that reveals the ambiguous and fluid gender of the actor. In the Male Queen the epitome of femininity is performed by a man. Chen Zigao is described as so seductive and “luscious” both on and off stage, that they were able to conquer the heart of not only the king, but the princess as well. The significance of the performance of Chen Zigao and the Hijras in Indian culture are important to understand as part of gender fluid identity, or perhaps in part of gender identities that do not fit the binary of male or female.
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Gender identities of the characters in Chinese drama unfold on stage as specters gaze upon them in their performance as actors and in their ambiguous bodies avoiding the hegemonic ideal of femininity and masculinity. In the Male Queen, gender is performed as Chen Zigao, entices the King and as the king falls in love with Zigao. The kings forces Chen Zigao to appear to be female and has the woman of house dress him as a woman. Zigao, at first, mimics the women in their way of speaking, at first by repeating words and tones that they used and later revealing himself as separate from the “real women” on stage, whom were also played by men, and in being the ideal form of femininity. Chen Zigao’s gender crossing obligates the spectators to view the body of the performer or actor in a different perspective, as they throw out the hegemonic perception of gender. In the play, the Male Queen Chen Zigao’s gender crossing utilizes the audiences gaze to preform gender in a way that they have not seen before. Chen Zigao’s fluidity confuses the audience, as their seductive personality takes the stage, they are able to entice both men and women which allows their fluid identity to unfold as the performance continues However, once the king’s sister falls for Zigao, he is strioped from the gender fluid role that he had taken before as he was forced to marry the princess. Chen Zigao’s fluidity createsd a platform for transgendered expression, however, after being outed as male, the fluidity that they were able to carry shifted. Zigao says “Even though my body is that of a man, my features are like those of a woman…. If I were a woman, I would certainly make a match with a king…. I could be such a fox, I could bedazzle my man. Even if he were a man of iron, I could make half his body go so soft it couldn’t move. It’s a pity I was made a boy by mistake,” which brings to light their transgendered identification in ancient Chinese theater. This is significant because of its implications in the modern world where many people continue to feel like they were born into a body that doesn’t belong to them.
While gender in Chinese theater unfolds in a way where men take the roles of women and are able to express femininity that they otherwise might not have been able too, the Hijra of India, preform gender off the stage and in their everyday expression. They wear sari’s which to them, as explained by Nanda, in her book “Neither Man nor Woman: The Hijras of India,” is the epitome of femininity. They wear the sari’s, often times for the first time, only after they undergo surgery removing their male genitals, and while they do not construct a vagina, this doesn’t mean that they are not women. They way that they unfold their gender identity is through their clothing, the way in which they carry themselves, among other things. According to Serena Nanda, Hijra’s are culturally defined as performers, however, preforming is not their sole way of income, and many are not preformers. Some say that they are women, they behave and act as women, there for they are women. Others identify as Hijras because they are born intersexual, and chose to identify as such in their teens. The way in which they chose to unfold their gender is through performance, in wearing sari’s for example, as explained by Kamladevi, a hijra woman who described her experience in to Nanda. Kamladevi describes the hijras, and she herself as unfolding their gender as women because of their sexual desire for men. This coincides with Chen Ziago’s unfolding of gender in his desire for the king.
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Hijras, although they carry an important role in Indian communities, are often kicked out of their homes once coming forward as a Hijra. Kalmadevi, is a protestant woman with fluent English and attended many forms of schooling. Before becoming a Hijra, her family found out she was seen with a group of Hijras and was participating in prostitution, at this time her mother was described her as “almost shedding tears of blood” (Nanda 59). Kamaldevi’s father battered her so much, she explains, “I was in bed from that beat- ing for three days”(Nanda 59). Kamaldevi eventually ran away and officially became part of the Hijra community. Hijras are important and spiritual people in Indian communities; they are hired as performers, and take important roles in the community, however; in many cases they are still not accepted by their families and they are said to bring shame, as demonstrated by Kamaldevi. Although Indian communities acknowledge this third gender, which breaks away from normative western standards of gender, this doesn’t mean that all genders are considered equals. Hijra themselves have varies forms of defining themselves, therefore the way that they preform their gender is often struggle financially and are viewed as the other. Those who do not identify as Hijras have the ability to influence the way that they are interpreted, or the way that they are identified. Hijras themselves, for example, often approach people that they see themselves in. If they sense they someone is struggling with their gender identity they open their doors to them. This is significant because the person that they may approach could be content with their identity and are as a result influence they Hijra. The Hijra, however, would never force you to join them, they would simply give you the opportunity to do so and feel comfortable. Sexual attraction also influence the way that one may idenitify. Kamaldevi, for example, describes the first time she was with a male as being “spoiled” as it started a spiral in her life that was filled with hardship. She describes this encounter as ‘“You look like a girl, your activities are like a girl, I like you so much.’ I told him, ‘Don't tell me I'm like a girl, I don't approve of it.’ But still, he was persistent, and it was he who spoiled me and gave me the first experience.’” (Nanda 58).