Transgenders – Their World and Beyond

Transgenders – Their World and Beyond

Introduction

There has been plenty said about transgenders…many of them are absurd and baseless. Things are looking up for them, we say, and we pride ourselves in being noble enough to accept a malaise into our society by providing them some housing complexes in remote parts of the city, far away from normal social life. All said and done, we still cringe when we look at a transgender walking down the road, eating at a local dingy restaurant, or at traffic signals. It’s something that is just beyond the disgust that is evident as we look at an alternate third gender (yes, beyond the orthodox binary gender discrimination that society has etched so firmly into our minds), at a mental level, we cannot still come to terms with people who look like an ‘absurd cross’ between a male and a female.

Our hatred for them is ingrained into our minds right from childhood. We are told stories of asuras, devils and transgenders. As all stories begin, we recount multiple instances of transgenders haggling us to give them money at the traffic signals, approaching us with a clap of hands and an eccentric flaunting of their womanhood. As we roll up the windows of our air conditioned car at the sight of them, or whistle and catcall when they walk down the road, or molest them when they are in secluded streets, we really do not understand how much of ridicule they actually endure day in and day out.

The Reasons

The people who speak against such transgenders cannot even comprehend how ‘such creatures’ can be born this way. Well, first things first, no transgender is born that way. They take a choice to be a woman. They are born as normally as you or me, the so-called male dominion. The identity crisis begins to set in around the time of puberty, when they are revolting within, as a man, they wish and feel womanly sensations and they start developing womanly attributes, and start falling in love with the concept of being a woman, decked up with jewels, hair braided with jasmine, the gaiety walk, and the pleasures derived out of being a woman through and through. They face ridicule right from childhood, when they are mocked by people for “the girly walk”, “the girly laugh” and everything that are associated with a girl. So, they brand the poor kid to be a “that boy who is a girl” and start calling them names.

It is at that instant, when the womanly tendencies take over a ‘man’ completely, that they choose to embrace their feminine side and turn into women by operating upon themselves. While they know that this would the start of a life of pain, they are ready…as they want to be a woman, mentally, emotionally and physically…and get rid of the ‘man’ virus within their bodies once and for all. And yet, we have women today who say…’I wish I was born a man, I hate being a woman’…well, take a look at these transgenders and be proud of your gender…of who you are…of how pure you all are…that men are embracing womanhood more freely than ever.

The Solution

The government recently announced that the third gender should be included in gender categorization, but, it still is not the long term solution. Companies, private and public, should be able to provide a minimal quota for transgenders. There are plenty of transgenders who are well-read and highly qualified, but without a job just for the fact that they are what they are. The concept of embracing transgenders into our daily life should begin at schools and colleges. Therefore, every school or college must have atleast one transgender in their staff roll. Transgenders always have self-respect and pride at their forefront, so, they pledge to never be corrupt.

The government provides them accommodation in a remote corner of a city, to live as a colony. Well, that only defeats the purpose. They are left to fend for themselves, banished from normal life. All the more reason for people to avoid them. They must be provided with housing facilities amidst everyone else, and treated just like everyone else.

This is a long drawn-out battle for the third gender, and my only hope is that the world will change to accept transgenders into our society better, not just as beggars or sex-workers, but, just like a normal working class of people like you and me.

Let us spread love, joy and peace to the world. All glory to God.