Fighting odds, they have conquered many heights. Some are well-known activists, others are actors and celebrity make-up artists. There are models, anchors, and news readers. But irrespective of their professions, transsexual community members are still the butt of ridicule in society.
Stories Forgotten to Tell , a theatre presentation by a group of transsexuals staged as part of the International Theatre Festival of Kerala (ITFoK) here on Friday, narrates the bitter experiences, social biases, and neglect faced by the community. “Not only the common man, but the police and even authorities treat us as dirt,” say Sweety Bernad and Ayisha Dudle, two of Kerala’s transsexual news readers.
'Social bias intact'
“But my job has not changed the social bias against me a bit,” Ms. Bernad says. Also a housekeeping employee of the Kochi metro, she recalls her bitter experiences from seniors. “We have been abused publicly. Denied shelter, food, and freedom of movement. Even our family refused to recognise us,” says Ms. Dudle.
“ Stories Forgotten to Tell is our story. There is no script or format. Each of us tried to recreate our experiences,” they say.
The play is the culmination of a seven-day theatre workshop, Rainbow Talks, conducted at the School of Drama here as part of the ITFoK in association with the Dwaya Transgender Arts and Charitable Society.
“The attitude in Kerala towards transsexuals is hostile compared to Tamil Nadu and Karnataka,” said Sreejith Sundaram, an LGBT activist and director of the play. “When we talk about equal rights, equal space, it is preference of each person. Like how we have freedom to choose our religion, dress code, and education, we should have the right to choose the gender too,” said activist Sheethal Shyam. “We still say first gender, second gender, and third gender. Such discrimination affects trans and females the most. Our religion, politics, cinema, and culture should avoid such biases and become gender neutral. Our education system itself should change,” she said.
The play will be repeated on Saturday too.
