A kothi in the culture of the
Indian subcontinent, is a man or boy who takes on an "
effeminate" role in
same sex relationships
A same-sex relationship is a romantic or sexual relationship between people of the same sex. ''Same-sex marriage'' refers to the institutionalized recognition of such relationships in the form of a marriage; civil unions may exist in countries w ...
, often with a desire to be the penetrated member in sexual intercourse.
The origins of the term Kothi are unclear. The original meaning was intended as a slur, similar to "fag" or "sissy."
Local equivalents include ''durani'' (
Kolkata), ''menaka'' (
Cochin), ''
meti'' (
Nepal), and ''zenana'' (
Pakistan). The male partners who perform the penetrative acts are known as Panthi.
Kothis differ from
Hijras as they do not live in the kind of
intentional communities that hijras usually live in. They are similar to the
Hijra in that they may take a same-sex lover for a period of time, and they may perform sexual favors for men through prostitution.
Other sources state that the term Kothi is an all-encompassing term for males in India who do not conform to their social gender. So the term Kothi would include the identity of
Hijra, among others.
See also
*
Tamil sexual minorities
Tamil sexual minorities are Tamil people who do not conform to heterosexual gender norms. They may identify as LGBTQIA. It has been estimated that India has a population of 2.5 million homosexuals, though not all of them are Tamil, and not all Tami ...
References
{{Asia topic, LGBT culture in
Hijra (South Asia)
Transgender in Asia
Indian culture