FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 2024
Raghav Gadgil
Iwas aghast after hearing the spine chilling news that a young boy (in his twenties) from Haryana killed four members of his family on August 27, 2021. With the motive of the murder lying on shaking ground in the initial interrogations, the boy later uncovered the real cause: his family's unacceptance of his true gender and its rejection of his sex reassignment surgery.
The insensitivity of the police in the press conference accompanied by reportage in the media about this gruesome murder was more horrific than the actual crime. A reputed TV channel ran a series of insensitive headlines ("murder conspiracy by a boy to become a 'girl'"; "Boy kills family for his love for gay partner"), essentially criminalising his belonging to the third gender. Such a portrayal by unsympathetic anchors creates unwanted phobia against the acceptance and existence of transgender people in society. Media houses narrate incidents in a thoughtless, casual manner that pushes the societal attitudes into shackles of hatred towards this community.
That being said, alternative gender has always been a disputable topic in Indian society.
The crime shouldn't have happened at all. I condemn this act of murder. But is this not due to the systemic failure of the society that refuses to accept the third gender? Many individuals remain closeted, fearing the discrimination against universally imposed gender ideals, and the consequent ostracisation. Equality of all before the constitution is inconsequential when the mindset of the people is discriminatory. The families feel frightened to approve such 'behaviour' in their children, wary of repercussions from the society. They feel betrayed, and the children are, often forced into heterosexual marriages in a bid to 'normalise' their orientation. In the case of the Haryana boy, he 'freed' himself from the constant coercion by the family that unfortunately ricocheted in the form of cold-blooded murder, one of the rewards being able to elope with the partner.
The process of alienating, and stigmatisation practised in schools, colleges, workplaces, public places enrages and hurts them, everyday. Such individuals are looked upon with shame. While some, like the Haryana boy, found a way out whilst committing a heinous crime, there are others who are equally oppressed.
In the 21st century, we must expect more acceptance of such individuals rather than rhetoric of an 'oddity'. These people are from amongst us. The acceptance must start from home. People claiming to have 'cures' and who call for 'counselling sessions' must be counselled themselves. Sex is a biological truth that has descended upon the individuals at birth while gender takes shape in puberty. Some permutations and combinations do not appeal to the social construct resulting in the third gender. I pity those 'doctors' purportedly 'treating' this anomaly and passing it off as a 'mental syndrome'. Such quacks thrive due to the dogma associated with the third gender.
Engagement with students at an early age on the notions of prevailing gender inequities is the need of the hour. This will help structure broader societies in which they live. Strict implementation of legal standards to protect third gender individuals against violence also form an essential arm of the awareness. Finally, teaching young adults to respect people for their choice of expression, even if it contrasts with their own, is a necessity.
