The Distress Signal is evident! More and more confused teenagers and adolescents people are opting to end their lives, take to misuse of drugs and give in to pressures from family and society to remain locked in their bodies, the mind, however, feels differently. This happens more in the far-out villages, where help is most needed. There is an emergency there – a gender emergency. We must address this issue now, before more people lose precious lives, due to the gender identity crisis. We, as a responsible community, must make it our business and make a serious effort to stop more damage to innocent human lives. Being transgender is not just a medical transition. It’s about discovering who you are, living your life authentically, loving yourself, and spreading that love toward other people and accepting one another.

 

As we progress further into understanding transgender issues, we can easily see that for some people, there’s a gender in the brain and a gender in the body. It is there, from birth and before, maybe and that must be acknowledged and respected. All of us are put in boxes by our family, by our religion, by our society, our moment in history, and even our own bodies. Some people have the courage to break free. That must be addressed to, accepted and applauded. There is freedom of choice on what you want to be as per what one feels to be – a man in a woman’s body or a woman in a man’s body, or both! We are all assigned a gender at birth. Sometimes that assignment doesn’t match our inner truth, and there needs to be a new place – a place for self-identification.  If I wait for someone else to validate my existence, it will mean that I’m shortchanging myself.

 

Our experience of gender is no more or less pathological than that of ‘mainstream’ society. We have a right to live in a body that matches our self-image and deep desires without someone else being the gatekeeper to our experience

 

Today, being transgender means that you are brave, resilient, and committed to your inner truth. You have moved away from the flawed gender assignment of your birth, and you have moved toward an identity that feels right, despite broad challenges. Eventually, the whole world will catch up. In the meantime, find your pronouns, express your gender identity, seek out your safe community and your allies; only accept gender-affirming health care and therapy.; and love yourself as you deserve to be loved. 

 

 Someone rightly said - “I think trans women, and trans people in general, show everyone that you can define what it means to be a man or woman on your own terms”.
A lot of what EQUALISM is about, is moving outside of roles and moving outside of expectations of who and what you’re supposed to be to live a more authentic life.

 

This month of May, after the spring-cleaning of minds, thoughts and stereotype beliefs in the previous month that ushered in Spring Thoughts, let us expect the May-Day situation in our far-out villages, small towns and some city dwellings to finally end. We can at least start to End the situation over the coming months…. I am doing my part. What have you done to spread awareness? Please feel free to write to me – lakhi.pandey5289@gmail.com