Ms. Archana Suresh, Director of T-SIG/Telangana Social Impact Group, was invited for a Trans-gender event called Translate in Hyderabad on November 24, 2024. Here is an account by her.
They look different. Does that mean we should treat them differently? I was invited to a Trans-gender event called Translate in Hyderabad on November 24, 2024. A “queer” event that had representation from the LGBTQIA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual) community. A trans-gender person is someone who does not identify with the gender he/she is born with. There were 8 speakers from across the spectrum, who spoke on their journey of why they belong to this particular community. (Videos will be out soon). The rest of us majority is called cis gender (because our gender identity matches the sex we were assigned at birth). What I’ve realised is that since the cis community doesn’t know much about them - we harbour misconceptions, fear about this community. Anyone who’s interacted with them will tell you that these are regular human beings with feelings and emotions like the rest of us. But who’ve been discriminated against in society. Growing up, I always feared Hijras / the third gender. They can be sometimes found at traffic signals, in trains, at a birth ceremony (yes, in North India, Eunuchs are invited by some families to partake in the birth celebrations of a son especially). All that changed when I was selected and listened at a Changemaker session (by Change.org) in 2018. A transgender person addressed the gathering (let’s call her Reema) and she told us horrifying details of how this community is treated by the cis-gender. Many eunuchs take up sex-work because society does not give them any other avenue of employment. If they want to transition into the other gender, they can’t afford it medically and she described how male trans-gender people are actually castrated by quacks. We need to do more for people who don’t look and act like us. Did you know that Corporate India has been trying to create job opportunities for them? Synopsys opened a “Hope in a Cup” cafe in Hyd in 2023 run by the LGBTQIA community. HSBC sponsored setting up of a restaurant by the community in Chennai in 2022. If you would like to help the LGBTQIA community, please reach out on +91 9831593123. Jayesh Ranjan Telangana-Social Impact Group Gareth Wynn Owen, Nalini Raghuraman, Mayur Patnala Kankanala (India/Bharat), Michael Raj, Narendra Korlepara, Bijay Chowdhury, Krishnaveni Balasubramanian, Debbie Das, Vyjayanti Vasanta Mogli, Kailash Kanth, Uma Chilakamarri Synopsys Inc, HSBC