Anvita Datla Week 5

The Sexual is Political by Vikramaditya Sahai

Vikram Aditya Sahai in his article, talks about the trans persons and how the Transgender (Protection of Rights) Act 2019 reduces the trans persons identities to that of their bodies and their interests are completely neglected. He talks about their plight and how the power of determining their gender is not in their hands and is instead placed in the hands of the district magistrate. This was completely against the judgement given in the case of NALSA v Union which gave the right to trans persons to identify themselves. Sahai brings forth the truth that people can be trans without them feeling a need for their bodies to be operated on and transformed which is in complete contrast with how the legal, medical and psychiatric research which completely lessens the trans person’s identity only to their bodies. Further trans persons have to resort to begging and sex work to earn a living due to the lack of reservations for them in various spheres. 

Transgender people hope for SC intervention by Dhrubo Jyoti

The article talks about the exclusion of trans persons from the final list of NRC as it is only inclusive of men and women. It talks about the three hardships faced by the trans persons in the process of NRC, the first being that their sexuality is never approved in their family and in most cases they are alienated and they themselves distance themselves and start living separately from their families. This makes it extremely difficult for them to produce family documents to prove their citizenship. Secondly the 2014 judgement gave them the right and granted them the status of ‘third gender’ and they changed their identity documents in their preferred names and gender status which made it even more difficult to prove link to their natal family. Due to these difficulties many pretend to be a particular gender just to get their names is NRC. Barauh’s petition demanded the court to ask state agencies to collect family data on behalf of trans persons and if it was not possible, accept an affidavit  of self-identification from the individual, with due verification from community representatives. 

Okay, Nandini Krishnan, I read your book “Invisible Men” and here’s why it is offensive by Gee Imaan Semmalar

The article is a book review of Invisible Men by Nandini Krishnan and is seen as very problematic by the author due to the way trans men are portrayed and because the book is very transphobic and is filled with factually incorrect statements. The author contrasts this with A life in Trans Activism by A Revathi. The author further gives ten reasons (categories) as to why the book is a very problematic book-

1. the author misgenders and deadnames the trans persons which is not at all acceptable; it uses infantilising terms which is a reason for many people being paid lesser; the book is transphobic; it attempts to saffronise trans communities and imposes a hinduised past on the trans persons; it is filled with violent nationalist fantasies; Brahmanism throughout the book; sympathy porn; necrophilia; Nandini Krishnan dehumanizes trans persons and uses the pronoun ‘it’. Hence the book is very problematic and therefore Gee Imaan Semmalar criticizes it.