The words hijra, transgender, cross-dresser and transsexual are often confused. Hijra is a community of male-to-female transgendered people into which one has to be granted entry by a guru. A transgender is a man or woman who has a deep desire to live in society as a member of the opposite sex. A cross- dresser may wear the clothes of the opposite sex for fun or sexual pleasure. A transexual is a person who feels trapped in his/her own body and wants to change to the opposite sex.
