LGBT+ (short for LGBTQQIP2SAA i.e. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Pansexual, 2-Spirited, Asexual, Ally) individuals are not only discriminated against and denied basic human rights even to this day in several parts of the world, many are publicly flogged and at times executed for their sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression. Even discussions pertaining to this community are either considered taboo under the garb of conservatism/religion or dismissed as a laughing matter (mostly) by anxious men boys feeling pressured into exhibiting their masculinity to their peer group and resorting to belittling others in the process due to lack of any real-world understanding.
Even in democracies like India that is home to nearly one-seventh of humanity, indulging in homosexual acts is a punishable offense. Can India, the Preamble of whose constitution states:
“WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN, SOCIALIST, SECULAR, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and to secure to all its citizens:
JUSTICE, social, economic and political;
LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship;
EQUALITY of status and of opportunity; and to promote among them all
FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation;
IN OUR CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY this 26th day of November, 1949, do HEREBY ADOPT, ENACT AND GIVE TO OURSELVES THIS CONSTITUTION.”
really discriminate against a section of its populace solely based on its sexual orientation without violating the ideals of liberty and equality enshrined in its constitution’s preamble? More importantly, for how long will the LGBT+ community remain marginalized in, of all places, the world’s largest democracy?
On August 24, 2017, the Supreme Court of India, in a landmark judgement recognized the right to privacy as a fundamental right for each of its citizens, thus reversing its previous stance on the matter. Since sexuality and gender identity/expression are matters that are private to an individual, this judgement has renewed hopes that the Article 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which was introduced in 1860 during the British rule of India and criminalizes homosexuality, will be declared unconstitutional. Moreover, LGBT+ rights are safeguarded in all other countries namely the United States, Canada, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the European Union members where the right to privacy is recognized. With India being a new entrant to this group, will it follow suit? It is important to note here though that on April 15, 2014, the Supreme Court of India did recognize a third gender that is neither male nor female stating, “Recognition of transgenders as a third gender is not a social or medical issue but a human rights issue”, thus making India one of the few countries to do so.
Law aside, what is a democratic government doing in its citizen’s bedrooms anyway, and if it feels so obligated to be omnipresent in its citizens lives, can it really call itself democratic? Even those who fetishize being submissive and taking orders in the bedroom, I’m sure they don’t find it the least bit seductive when these orders are coming from their governments and not from their bedmate(s).
Distributed over multiple essays, I will be critically analyzing issues related to the LGBT+ community such as:
- the thought process of a trans individual: what exactly attracts them to the other gender, so much so that they are willing to go under the knife (gender reassignment surgery) and endure immense physical pain in the process, or voluntarily opening themselves up to public ridicule and apathy by coming out?
- trans rights, and if the demand for them infringes upon the rights of cisgender individuals in any way.
- intersex individuals and issues faced by them.
- issues/stories pertaining to the hijra (trans/intersex) community in South Asia, particularly India.
- pride parades and whether they serve any useful purpose other than providing avenues for drinking and partying, especially in countries where LGBT+ rights already exist.
- history of drag shows and how/why they became associated specifically with the LGBT+ community versus being counted as a source of entertainment alongside live theater, street plays, or what have you for the entire population irrespective of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression?
Before we proceed to a discussion on the aforementioned topics, it is important that we familiarize ourselves with some basic LGBT+ related terminologies and understand crucial differences between them. Since LGBT+ individuals span the gender and/or sexuality spectrum(s), our discussion in this essay will broadly be centered around two terms: Gender and Sexuality. We will begin our discussion with Gender and move on to Sexuality in the later part of this essay.
Gender
Before we define Gender, let’s get acquainted with some terminologies associated with it:
Gender Role
Gender role refers to the (implicit) societal norms that dictate, among other things, an individual’s dressing style, mannerisms and the concepts of femininity and masculinity corresponding to their birth sex or perceived gender.
Sex
Sex refers to one’s biological status as either male or female, and is associated primarily with physical attributes such as chromosomes, hormone prevalence, and external and internal anatomy. (source)
Gender
Gender is different from sex*. While sex is related to an individual’s physical characteristics like the anatomy of their reproductive system as explained previously, Gender relates to an individual’s sense of self in terms of whether they identify with their birth sex or not and/or the gender role(s) they associate with. For instance, an individual born as a male (sex) may not identify as one (gender) or dress/behave in accordance with the gender role prevalent in their respective societies.
*There are many who disagree with this distinction. The argument put forth by this group is that the majority of individuals are born as either males (having XY chromosomes) or females (having XX chromosomes), hence for any such individual to experience gender dysphoria is a sign of mental disorder and must be treated accordingly. After all, sex is based on science and is basic biology while gender is a societal and a psychological construct.
There are merits to both arguments. Though it cannot be disputed that males and females are identified based on their external and internal anatomies, there are millions around the world whose sense of identity transcends basic biology. Dismissing such notions with the sole justification of not being able to identify with them does not imply that they don’t/can’t exist or if they do, then it must be due to some underlying cognitive imbalance. I don’t have a taste for brussels sprouts, nor do I identify with those who have an inclination to strap a suicide vest to their bodies and detonate themselves in a crowded place in the name of religion, yet growing brussels sprouts is a profitable business for farmers and suicide bombings do take place around the world on a regular basis. When one human being differs from the other on so many different parameters, then why do we dismiss notions that are outside the realm of our understanding as being an oddity? Is it too humbling to acknowledge that we don’t fully comprehend everything that exists in this world?
Gender Identity
An individual’s perception of having a particular gender, which may or may not correspond with their birth sex.
Gender Expression
The way an individual expresses their gender identity, generally in terms of how they dress and their behavior/mannerisms.
Gender Dysphoria, Gender Identity Disorder and Transgenderism
Gender Dysphoria or Gender Identity Disorder involves a conflict between a person’s sex or assigned gender and the gender with which he/she/they identify. People with gender dysphoria may be very uncomfortable with the gender they were assigned, sometimes described as being uncomfortable with their body (particularly developments during puberty) or being uncomfortable with the expected roles of their assigned gender. Such a person is called transgender. (source)
Cisgender
A cisgender refers to an individual whose sense of personal/gender identity corresponds with their birth sex/the gender they were assigned to at birth. It is the opposite of the term transgender.
Intersex
Intersex is a general term used for a variety of conditions in which a person is born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn’t seem to fit the typical definitions of female or male. For example, a person might be born appearing to be female on the outside, but having mostly male-typical anatomy on the inside. (source)
Transsexual
Individuals who transition from one gender to another are called Transsexuals. Transitioning is a complex process and may involve transition to a gender that is neither traditionally male nor female. While there is no “right” way to transition genders, there are some common social changes transgender people experience that may involve one or more of the following: adopting the appearance of the desired sex through changes in clothing and grooming, adopting a new name, changing sex designation on identity documents (if possible), using hormone therapy treatment, and/or undergoing medical procedures that modify their body to conform with their gender identity. (source)
Pronouns for Trans individuals
Some transgender individuals may prefer what are traditionally thought of as female or male pronouns, like “she” or “he”, while others may prefer gender-neutral pronouns like “they”, “them”, etc. Since it is impossible to guess the pronouns a person might prefer to be referred to with, it is strongly recommended to ask them about their preferred pronouns. Note that using “it” to refer to an individual is usually considered offensive and hence highly discouraged. (source)
Sexuality
Sexuality or sexual orientation refers to who we are physically attracted to. Types of sexual orientations include heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality, pansexuality and asexuality to name a few. Some important terminologies associated with Sexuality are defined below:
Heterosexual
An individual who is sexually attracted to people of the opposite sex/gender.
Homosexuality
A sexual attraction between individuals of the same sex/gender.
Homosexual
An individual who is sexually attracted to people of their own sex/gender.
Lesbian
A homosexual woman.
Gay
A homosexual man.
Bisexual
An individual attracted to both men and women.
Queer
Queer is an umbrella term for sexual and gender minorities who are not heterosexual and/or not cisgender.
Questioning
An individual who is unsure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity fall under this category. Such people are in an exploratory phase and in order to avoid getting associated with labels like transgender and/or homosexual, they categorize themselves under Questioning.
Pansexual
An individual whose attraction to others is not limited by their biological sex, gender or gender identity.
2-Spirited
An umbrella term used to refer to queer indigenous populations like Native-Americans in the United States who exhibit qualities of both sexes/transcend boundaries of gender. Watch this video till 4:20 for more information.
Asexual
An individual who has no sexual feelings/attraction towards anyone.
Ally
An Ally is a cisgender heterosexual individual who is supportive of the LGBT+ rights.
FAQ
Q. What is the merit in the argument that being transgender is a mental disorder?
A. According to the American Psychological Association, a psychological state is considered a mental disorder only if it causes significant distress or disability. Many transgender people do not experience their gender as distressing or disabling, which implies that identifying as transgender does not constitute a mental disorder. For these individuals, the significant problem is finding affordable resources, such as counseling, hormone therapy, medical procedures and the social support necessary to freely express their gender identity and minimize discrimination. Many other obstacles may lead to distress, including a lack of acceptance within society, direct or indirect experiences with discrimination, or assault. These experiences may lead many transgender people to suffer with anxiety, depression or related disorders at higher rates than cisgender persons.
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), people who experience intense, persistent gender incongruence can be given the diagnosis of “gender dysphoria.” Some contend that the diagnosis inappropriately pathologizes gender non-congruence and should be eliminated. Others argue that it is essential to retain the diagnosis to ensure access to care. The International Classification of Diseases(ICD) is under revision and there may be changes to its current classification of intense persistent gender incongruence as “gender identity disorder.”
Q. “Gender assigned at birth? What does that even mean? How can gender be ‘assigned’ at birth?”
A. Sex assignment (sometimes known as gender assignment) is the determination of an infant’s sex at birth. In the majority of births, a relative, midwife, nurse or physician inspects the genitalia when the baby is delivered and sex and gender are assigned, without the expectation of ambiguity. Assignment may also be done prior to birth through prenatal sex discernment.
Even though the term assignment suggests a decision on the part of the parents or medical professionals, the act almost universally constitutes an observation or recognition of inherent primary sexual characteristics of a baby. In the majority of cases, the gender with which the child is raised matches the child’s gender identity. The act of assignment carries the implicit expectation that future gender identity will develop in alignment with the physical anatomy and assignment, with transgender individuals being an exception to this rule. In the case of intersex individuals born with sex characteristics such as chromosomes, gonads, hormones or genitals that do not fit typical notions of female or male bodies, there may be complications in making a sex assignment and that assignment may not be consistent with the child’s future gender identity. Reinforcing sex assignments through surgical and hormonal means may violate the individual’s rights.
Q. Is there a difference between Gender and Sexuality?
A. Gender identity and sexual orientation are not the same. Sexual orientation refers to an individual’s enduring physical, romantic, and/or emotional attraction to another person, whereas gender identity refers to one’s internal sense of being male, female, or something else. Transgender people may be straight, lesbian, gay, bisexual or asexual, just as cisgender people can be. Some recent research has shown that a change or a new exploration period in partner attraction may occur during the process of transition. However, transgender people usually remain as attached to their loved ones after transition as they were before transition. They usually label their sexual orientation using their gender as a reference. For example, a transgender woman i.e. a person who is assigned male at birth and transitions to female, who is attracted to other women would be identified as a lesbian or gay woman. Likewise, a transgender man i.e. a person who is assigned female at birth and transitions to male, who is attracted to other men would be identified as a gay man. (source)
P.S. Transparent is a web series from Amazon Studios that explores the life of a transgender female and portrays well the difference between gender and sexuality. It might be a good place to start to understand some of the LGBT+ related issues.
