'Marriage seen as medicine for transgenderism'

Marriage is seen as a solution to overcome transgenderism in the Indian community, experts at a panel discussion on Section 377 opined on Thursday.

The panel discussion was held during ‘The WeWork Pride Week’ by Impact team, The Pavillion, WeWork, Church Street, Bengaluru.

The discussion addressed the idea of being queer is to be Indian and to be homophobic is to be colonised and said that nothing has changed even after the Supreme Court verdict on Section 377.

“Indian parents see marriage as a medicine to overcome transgenderism. Whenever they spot behavioural change among their wards, they tend to get them married, thinking it is a solution to overcome that behaviour. The lack of acceptance, fear and hesitation towards the community in the houses should be abolished at the first step. Though there is a lot of context mentioned in ancient Indian tradition, and they are even worshipped as a god, orthodox people still consider this a crime,” said Apsara Reddy, a trans journalist.

The panel unanimously clarified that transgenders have been a very important part of Indian culture, and colonial homophobic ideas are the reason why Section 377 came into being. Highlighting sexual and gender minorities and their existence and importance in Indian society, the panel spoke about the sculptures at famous ancient temples. Rohini Malur, a tarot reader, a poet, writer and general layabout, Sasha Reddy, a transgender woman, activist, fashion designer and a media personality and Amit Pandya, a jewellery stylist were the other panellists.