With their glittering saris, bright makeup and a reputation for bawdy song and dance, hijras, India's transgender minority, are hard to miss. But this week, after years of discrimination, the community has finally been granted legal visibility.

On Tuesday the supreme court of India ruled that transgender people would be recognised on official documents under a seperate "third gender" category. The change follows similar legislation in Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh. This means that now, for the first time, there are quotas of government jobs and college places for hijras. The decision has been cheered by activists, who say that, despite its distinguished history, the community too often faces violence and harassment.

Shwetambera Parashar from the Humsafar Trust, an Indian NGO that campaigns for LGBT rights, says the exclusion faced by the community has been acute – from doctors refusing to examine or treat hijras, to police harrasment and discrimination keeping them locked out of mainstream employment. This week's change in the law is a "big step", she says, ensuring that discrimination can now be challenged.

Hijras, who can be eunuchs, intersex or transgender, have been part of South Asia's culture for thousands of years. Eunuchs are celebrated in sacred Hindu texts such as the Mahabharata and the Kama Sutra. They also enjoyed influential positions in the Mughal courts. Read more via the Guardian