While we all talk about equality and feminism in today’s society. We forget to include a minority, the third gender, the “men minus maleness”, transgender, hijras. India, currently having a population of about 1.2 million of these individuals, such humans being ostracized from society for their sexuality.
While our society plays it’s hypocrisy well aided by their dogmatic views of these humans, we’ve seen them at weddings, naming ceremonies and other such happy occasions where family members invite these people and pay them money, considering them as a ‘Good Omen’. And while they see these individuals at the signals begging, they roll up their windows and avoid them considering the transgenders wrath as a curse, that they will bestow upon them years of bad luck.
A life of a transgender is not easy as it may seem, from constant emotional and sexual confusion pondering their minds from a very young age of 4 or so to the lack of support from family members, friends and society. Many of them at a tender age of 4 start showing their feminine characteristics, which is forcefully suppressed by their family members. As they grow up this suppression leads to torture mentally and physically. Where neither do they understand their sexuality nor do their parents. They are sexually harassed, molested and even raped by their neighbors etc., many at times forced to quit their education, run away from home and enter into begging or sex work. Even as sex workers it’s not easy for them, harassed by goons and the police, they’re forced to have sex with these people for free, and a portion of the amount they receive must be given to the goons and police.
Regardless of these hardships, India has lately seen a rise in transgender society that’s voicing their opinion for equal rights as well as a change in our society. A few transgenders who have made it big through these hardships.
1. Akkai Padmashali:
Akkai Padmashali, is now a Human activist working for Sangama for the betterment for not only her community, but also for dalits, women, the poor. A woman with a determination to change society to create awareness in all these communities on different platforms.
2. Padmini Prakash:
Padmini Prakash is the first transgender television news anchor in the country, has worked as a dancer and acted in various Tamil soap operas before joining the Coimbatore-based Lotus News Channel.
3. Madhu Kinnar:
On 5 January, the voters of Raigarh elected the 35-year-old Madhu as India’s only transgender mayor. She used to earn a living by singing and dancing earlier. It was on those streets that she became acutely aware of what she still considers her city’s biggest urban problem,sanitation.
4. Shabnam Mausi:
Shabnam “Mausi” Bano is the first transgender Indian or Hijra to be elected to public office, elected as a member of the MP State legislative Assembly for a term period of 5 years from 1998 to 2003. A motivation to her entire community, inspiring her community to take up mainstream jobs and leave the age old practice of dancing and singing on the streets and begging for money.
5. Kalki Subramaniam:
An activist, author and an actor, founder of Sahodari Foundation which works for the social, economic and political empowerment of transgender persons in India. She’s India’s first transgender entrepreneur.
6.Laxmi Narayan Tripathi:
A transgender rights activist, Hindi film actress and Bharatanatyam dancer in Mumbai,first transgender person to represent Asia Pacific in the UN in 2008. Served on several boards which propagate LGBT rights, president of the NGO DAI Welfare Society. Founder of Astitiva, which works to promote the welfare of sexual minorities, their support and development.
Kudos to all these Women, who are set out to make a change in our society, the next time we see a transgender on the road lets not be scared and walk in the other direction or treat them as untouchables, be humane to them.
Source: https://www.icytales.com/the-struggles-and-rise-of-the-men-minus-maleness/
