Recognition from law is one thing but acceptance of society is another. The community is still struggling for jobs and accommodation. Like when I moved to Mumbai recently, I faced lots of difficulty finding a transgender-friendly accommodation. Imagine if this is happening to someone who has a high profile corporate job and think about the less fortunate people.
By Tanmay Shrivastava Sep 7 2021 |
As the first mainstream transgender radio jockey in the Indian circuit, and the first from the community to contest assembly elections in Kerala, Anannyah was one of the community's brightest and more outspoken voices. As a Trans Rights activist, she fought for the community like a fearless warrior.
By Ritushree Panigrahi Aug 26 2021 |
Personally, I think Blanchard’s theory is full of crap. He fails to capture the myriad nuanced experiences that come with gender itself, and with being a trans individual.
By Ankita Aug 20 2021 |
Walking into my first group session felt nerve wracking and started to bring anxiety; however, since I was not required to speak or share about myself, there was much less pressure and I could be in the background. Unlike graduate school, where you can’t really get by without talking to anyone, I went on for days without speaking to anyone during my group therapy sessions. I didn’t know what to say or the right thing to say, I didn’t know if there was a point even in sharing what I was going through to a group of strangers.
By Sweta Jul 7 2021 |
For many trans, queer and gay contestants, excelling at vogueing was like earning a college degree. The underground queer culture of New York, where most of these elements were popularized, was a stigmatized, criminalized and brutalized space. The terms and drag elements were crumbs of acceptance in a world that largely mocked and disowned them.
By Eishita NA Jul 5 2021 |
It is surprising because the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) guidelines allow non-relatives to open joint accounts, but that’s where banks exercise their discretion. Their in-house policies and parameters govern the qualifying criteria for those who may access its services.
By Saurabh Sharma Jul 1 2021 |
“I was called mittha, gud, and different homophobic slurs in my college and office. Once, one of my colleagues threw lemon on my leg and said ‘mitha ja raha hai’. I used to be so stressed and frustrated that I finally had to resign and come back to Lucknow,” Lovepreet shared.
By Bilal Khan Jun 29 2021 |
The famous Kareena Kapoor truism from Jab We Met, “Main apni favourite hoon” (I am my own favourite) is unfortunately hard to believe — I'm sorry, Kareena! but it's just hard to love myself as a non-binary, queer person.
By Sara Jun 28 2021 |
The Karnataka government has now proposed to reserve 1% of all its jobs for the transgender community. The reservation will be in each category, i.e., general, SC, ST, and each of the OBC quotas, according to a draft notification released on May 13, 2021.
By Tejaswi Subramanian Jun 21 2021 |
Musically inclined from childhood, Angelique is a self-professed musical theatre nerd who grew up playing multiple instruments that vibrantly come together in ‘VHS’.
By Raavya Bhattacharyya Jun 18 2021 |
The Union Ministry had also extended their aid and provided Rs. 1,500 to trans people across the country. To access this benefit, they had to register using their Aadhar cards and provide their bank accounts. But since registration was only possible in Hindi or English and Aadhar cards often had dead names of the person, while many others did not have their medical certificate, this was largely inaccessible and designed for failure. Moreover, not all who applied received the money either.
By Ankita Jun 9 2021 |
When I joined this new job, I was unaware of the terms "Inclusive organization", "Diversity, equity and Inclusion." When I realized that there are organizations inclusive of LGBTQIA+ employees, it was a ray of hope for me. But, instead of searching for a job for myself in an inclusive organization with my previous qualifications, I decided to choose a career in diversity and inclusion to ensure that no other soul had to go through the trauma that I had suffered in my workplace environment.
By Ritushree Panigrahi Jun 4 2021 |
Medical gatekeeping is a real problem and we need to address it when talking about trans healthcare. Medical gatekeeping refers to health professionals withholding the medical facilities being sought by a person. Essentially, a trans person has to articulate their complex, personal experiences with gender and their deepest discomforts with regards to their body, to complete (cis) strangers.
By Prithvi Vatsalya Jun 2 2021 |
Dalit-transgender activist Grace Banu filed a petition in the Madras High Court asking for targeted aid in the form of ?4000/- in cash to each trans person in the state without a ration card as well as hold a special Covid vaccine drive after dispelling misinformation. This is a reasonable request and we hope the State considers assuming this responsibility.
By Ankita May 19 2021 |
I keep thinking of how many people have to mask their truth and pretend to be of a certain gender because it doesn’t fit into the conventional boxes prescribed by the world. And this is why people like Owen Hurcum are so important.
By Ankita May 19 2021 |
Influenced by the larger politics of heteropatriarchal ideology, the field of sports has often been associated with glorifying cis men. However, there is hope in that change in history is influenced by what we do in the present. This piece is about people who challenged these notions of gender in their chosen sporting professions in recent times.
By Ankita May 17 2021 |
Thanks to the Ideosync UNESCO Information Fellowship Grant that Prithvi qualified for, this podcast emerged as a media project carried out between Oct 2020 and March 2021. Prithvi’s aim was to mainly spread awareness about the transmasculine community, their struggles, joys, victories and every day experiences which although seemingly insignificant to others, has significant impact on how one views and accepts themselves.
By Ankita May 10 2021 |
Seldom we witness such heart-warming stories of Transgender persons on screen. Amidst the hopelessness, the new jewellery advertisement came as a silver lining, echoing the sentiments of transgender persons. Such trans-visibility on the silver screen is very rare, and this kind of initiative can help start the conversation that is long overdue about the stories of transgender persons.
By Ritushree Panigrahi Apr 26 2021 |
The government's stubborn adherence to the gender binary is befuddling (to say the least), but is quite aligned with its larger brand of transphobic legislations. However, its appeal raises another question as to why it has not created a separate wing for trans-folx when it was directed to do so by a Supreme Court verdict in 2014?
By Tejaswi Subramanian Apr 14 2021 |
We cannot do Pride walks in Manipur. In midst of conversations around religion, AFSPA, human rights and other concerns – queer issues are sidelined. So, we have been using sports. Through sports, we hope people accept our identities.
By Sara Apr 3 2021 |
