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Hijra Community in Bangladesh

Group of five people huddled together, smiling at the camera.

USAID, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Hijra have existed for thousands of years in South Asia— people of a third gender, with roots in Hinduism. They have long faced discrimination, especially under British rule, and this stigma continues today. Hijra communities like the one pictured here in Bangladesh, 2010, continue to fight for legal rights, healthcare, and social acceptance.