At the age of 5, I vividly remember my cousins asking me “Why are you playing with a teddy bear and behaving like girls?” Going to a co-ed school, my only interest was that I was surrounded by boys and from the corner of my eyes, I always feasted on the senior boys at school.
How many people from the general community know that we as transgenders experience the womanhood trapped in our bodies as early as 5 years? People would taunt my parents, who forcibly kept me indoors because they were afraid everybody would know their son is like this. These statements were meted out at a discussion with Miss Maya (name changed) and she expected the larger society to answer her.
Despite the supposedly sanctioned place in Indian culture, the transgender community faces severe discrimination and harassment in contemporary India. They are subjected to unfair treatments like removal from existing employment, verbal, physical and sexual violence, false arrests, denial of rights to ancestral property, educational institutions, and victimisation in family and at workplace.
The capital houses 7,000- 10,000 transgenders and most live a despicable life in the shady areas of city. Many being from the same city or bordering states live double lives—married to women, and having children but still living the life of ‘Hijras’.
The perpetrators of violence and discrimination against transgenders, include their own parents and siblings, friends, neighbours, their community members, employers, health service providers, police, clients and many others because of their effeminate behaviour, physical appearance, and dress code.
There is a need to redefine the roles of state, business, and civil society in promotion of rights of marginalised communities. The citizens should come out and support and protect if they witness any harassment, and treat transgenders as human beings.