IS THE COUNTRY FINALLY OVERCOMING PREJUDICE AGAINST TRANSGENDER?????

When we hear the term “mother”, it is very obvious to perceive that one is talking about a female. Also, much of the world thinks that uterus is required for motherhood. But despite all these adverse arguments, many transgenders have the opportunity of being mother. They feel proud and satisfied being a trans-mother. Recently Gauri Sawant, a transgender adopted a girl and got her admitted in school to complete her education. Certainly being a transgender in a world with psychotic bigot just complicates things at many steps. Transgender mother have to face the challenges to parental rights. Because of the stigma associated with transgenderism, many transwomen have to experience rejection at the time of adoption of a child. But they battle all the odds to lead their life in their own way.

Dr.Manabi Bandhopadhya struggled a lot but finally she occupied a prestigious post of Principal of Krishnanagar Women’s college in West Bengal. This achievement didn’t come easily to her way, simply due to her gender. According to her it is important to impart education to the transgender community because education can make an impact and change their lives. She always believed that her only path to respect lay in academics so Dr.Bandhopadhyay focused single-mindedly on education. She completed her MA in Bengali and then became the first transgendered person from West Bengal to complete a PhD. In another first, she became West Bengal’s first transgendered professor, when she joined Vivekananda Centenary College in Jhargram as a lecturer in the late 1990s. At the time she took over as the principal, Dr. Bandhopadhyay had excitedly talked about how the students and faculty had accepted her with open arms, leaving behind the preconceived notions. But clearly, with her resignation, along with the claim that some of her students and fellow teachers had agitated against her because of her sexual identity, it is clear that the prejudices are set deeper than she had anticipated.

K.Prithika Yashini, aged around 25 years is the first transgender to become a police official in India. However her application was rejected as being a transgender, she did not belong to any of the two specified categories, namely male or female. Subsequently she challenged this decision in court. Accordingly the court ordered for conducting a written test for her. She had very difficult times — the unending travels to the High Court; the long hours of waiting in the premises to be called; the uncertainty — but in the end it was all worth it and she made through all the odds and became a sub inspector.

Transgender have always been insulted and forced into prostitution and discriminated against for decades but when Madhu, a transgender became the mayor of Raigarh, it seems people are overcoming the preconceived notions against the transgenders. This is indeed worth celebrating as it has been a remarkable achievement for transgenders. In April 2014, the Supreme Court recognized them as the third gender, and coincidently, granted them benefits in education and employment. Being a transgender in India is not an easy matter. But in thye face of that hostility, a group of trans models have come together in Delhi to create their own new calendar to celebrate their unique community. with very few opportunities available to them in main stream modeling, the group decided to make their own venture with the support of each other. This is the first step taken towards their acceptance by wider Indian society. Despite the discrimination, transgenders have achieved many milestones which is very appreciating.

But the truth, as always, is not nearly as neat. It is very apparent that Indian society shows a beneficent attitude towards transgenders. The hijra community in particular are welcomed in homes at times of celebration and their blessings are considered auspicious. Yet, transgenders face discrimination in all walks of life. One spots them mostly at traffic junctions, begging and placing their hand on the heads of the people. Even this idea that they are special and therefore, command respect, is little more than an expression of otherness that pushes the transgender beyond the pale of normal society. There is also the truth that we live in a society where even discriminations must battle an inherent hierarchy.