Saturday 9 March 2013

Transgenders - Aren't they Humans ? Are we Humans?

Transgenders...!!! Aren't They Human Being? But we exalt and laud ourselves to be so, isn't ?  


Yesterday when i was travelling in bus back from office, I was happened to see a transgender female, who got into the bus. She acquired everyone's attention on the bus, No!, It is correct to say Everyone turned their attention to her as if like an alien. I was sitting in last but one row of the bus and that girl was standing in the middle of the aisle and the bus was almost crowded. The Incidents happened over there disturbed me a lot. Those memories were coming into my mind after getting out and when I sleep and When I woke up today which urged me to write this blog today. 

When she got into the bus, everybody who were standing on the aisle were  started moving away, though she came to bus alone and standing quite. I was able to read her that she is also noticing the incident. I just felt ashamed about our self and our community  IT IS JUST A MEDICAL ANOMALY like some disease and differently abled people. In caste system the society is isolated and unitegrated from others whereas here an individual is being sent out of the nest to no man accepting land. It is much more worse than caste isolation system. 

I just analysed what she would be thinking when others are going away from her in public which was not because of her mistake. Our society, is the society which gives room to thieves, rapists, terrorists and all criminal who can easily live with us but no to the one medical anamolies. One who need to feel ashamed can walk with pride, One who needs to treat commonly gets cornered. That is world, and we are also the part of this world.

In India, They are called with many names but not with thier names and they are Trans-woman, Trans-man, Trans-gender, bigender, genderqueer, cisgender, cissexual, hijra, kojja, thirunangai, ali, aravani, paavaiya and the name lists has no end. We are not willing to know the original name but we are more curious to say them on any one of the mentioned. 

The problems they face are countless.They live in the margins of the society and their names are used in derogatory manner.  Many get their income from performing at ceremonies, begging, or sex-work.  Violence against them are myriad.  they face extreme discrimination in health, housing, education, employment, immigration, law, and any bureaucracy that is unable to place them into male or female gender categories. Since they don't get proper money to run their life and live commonly  sometimes they  often encountered on streets, trains, beaches and other public places demanding money from people. If refused, they may attempt to embarrass the man into giving money, using obscene gestures, profane language, and even sexual advances, But the cause for this aren't We? can't 

It is high time to ask the question. Can't they live normally and achieve success?The answer is they can do, but we are not allowing that as we are perfect in everything. So I surfed and am here sharing the one of the successes story here. 

First transgender entrepreneur- Kalki 

Kalki Subramaniam is a journalist, writer, actor, activist, and transgender. She holds two masters: in Journalism and Mass Communication and International Relations. Now, she is an entrepreneur.

"I am from a middle class, well educated family in Pollachi, Tamil Nadu. I had a very difficult childhood; rather I would say I had no childhood at all. Today when I see children, I long to go and play with them. Because of my gender identity, I was discriminated against and ridiculed; I was so feminine. From 6th standard to 12th standard, I could not mix with anyone. The rejection hurt very badly.

I came out of the rejection by reading a lot and studying really hard. From the age of 16, I started taking hormone tablets and from 21, I took female hormone injections. At 23, I had an operation and changed my sex completely. I had earned the money from my work at an MNC and went for the operation to change myself.It is because of my education and work that I could live an independent life.

Though my family tolerated me, they did not accept me. But later, after I proved myself and became famous, I was accepted even by my relatives, and today, they are very proud of me. They respect me a lot for what I am. I wanted to be an actor, and I became one. I wanted to be a writer, I became one. I wanted to be a social worker, I became one by starting Sahodari for my community. I would say I could do whatever I wanted to. Now, I am an entrepreneur." says Kalki. 

Kalki, your mental strength is so rigid and amazing, which will inspire many transgenders. Transgenders are ready for accepting the development but are we providing any arena for development? I know it is difficult to change the society all at now but who will start the change if not we? If we don't avoid them then that will be first success in the change. They may have sexual disorders that is their problem what is the problem to us? If I(you) individual don't change then how can we expect the society to change. I am not sure about the impact of this blog, but at least make some decisions today. Try to speak positive about them, try to find the name of the individual than calling them with some derogatory names. They will get as much pain when we are called by our caste or something. If we consider them as one amongst us then only this society will change. 

"When a druggie, a thief, or a rapist is accepted as part of his family and the society, why can’t people accept us? You accept your brother if he climbs out of a filthy drain, but you never accept us. Are we that bad? We may have the wrong body but our soul comes as pure as any other of God’s beloved creations. You can’t give us love, but what about some respect?”- agony of a trans-women

God created them, as He created us. They are born to a father and a mother just like everyone else, yet we are thinking different. Mistake is not with them, It is with us.

Regards,
Joachin Joseph

3 comments:

  1. Yes Joachin.....we need to change - change is needed

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  2. Society is not being considering them as part of us and even some of us using them as a sexual tool. Even though they don't have a money earning option other than begging, or sex work because no one was ready to give an opportunity to her. Our parents will say that they are gods and you will be blessed if they praise or you will cursed if you refuse to give money. If we as god or god's child why we neglecting her. We need to think.

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    Replies
    1. @Devarajan, The problem is with us society or with them. Society is not ready to include them, so they are pushed to situation where they cannot earn. Because of that they are pushed to situation to embarrass people and harass to get money. It is cycle somewhere it should break. We cannot expect them to stop until we stop that.

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