Priya Gala, Week 5

Transgender people hope for SC intervention by Dhrubo Jyoti

This article talks about why the transgender persons rights group in Assam is planning to ask the Supreme Court to modify the appeals process of the National Register of Citizens (NRC). This is primarily because the current process excludes multiple transgender persons. This happens because many trans persons are disowned by their families or driven out of households at a very young age. The problem according to Dutta is that NRC forces them to prove connections with families who haven’t accepted them in the first place. Due to the 2014 SC judgement they got their right to be recognized as the third gender but since the changes were made in documents it became even more difficult to prove their natal families. The article talks about the experience of many such people including Zeena who pretended to be a man because the process was designed by keeping in mind male and females.

The Sexual is Political by Vikramaditya Sahai

In this article, the author underlines the problems of the trans act. She begins with explaining the social contract theory and how important consent is not only as an act of free and independent will but also to bind the consenting will to the responsibilities. However, when people become unable to consent, they also become unequal. This is precisely what the trans act does to trans people. Makes them incapable to consent and thus unequal. Because it not only takes away their right to determine their gender but also gives this power to the district magistrate. Thus, the act also violates NALSA v. Union of India which had given them the right to choose their gender. Not every trans person wants to undergo a surgery but the act forces them to and a trans person is limited to a trans body with the help of law, medical science and psychiatry. Furthermore, by not giving them reservations their job is limited to begging and sex work.

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

In this article the author compares the book Invisible men by Nandini Krishnan with A life in Trans Activism by Revathi. The author believes that the book Invisible men is not only transphobic but also has factually incorrect statements and a problematic portrayal of trans men. Furthermore, he also gives ten reasons to prove why invisible men is a problematic book on trans men: 1. Misgendering and deadnaming – a device used for dehumanization of trans people by referring to them by their given name and not chosen names; 2. Infantilization of trans men by using terms like “perter-pan” or “cherubic”; 3. Transphobia; 4. Poverty Porn by making a relation between the thickness of dosa and poverty; 5. Attempts to saffronise trans communities by imposing a Hinduised past on trans people throughout the book; 6. Violent Nationalist Fantasies; 7. Brahmanism; 8. Sympathy Porn by blaming Kiran’s parents for his disabilities because they failed to administer him polio vaccines; 9. Necrophilia; 10. Dehumanization. Thus, the book according to the author is clearly problematic and should be best used as toilet paper.