Writer Kalki Subramaniam said gender justice meant equal justice to all genders and not just for men and women. On the question of justice to transgender people, Tamil Nadu was way ahead of Kerala, said the transgender writer, who attributed this to the far-sighted reformative efforts taken by Periyar E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker.
The situation in Kerala was pathetic back in 2008. While the efforts of activists like Sheetal Shyam brought some positive changes, attacks from the police continued to be a sad reality, she said while talking about Gender Equality at Krithi-2018. “There are singers, poets and people capable of doing any job in transgender community. But no one is able to come up, as they are not admitted in schools and colleges. “Nature treats all alike. But why don’t we then get to see transgender doctors and engineers?”
Kalki said the puranas and ancient architecture acknowledged the community. Other organisms too recognised it. Earthworm, for instance, is androgyny [hermaphrodite]. Indians do not possess the sense of justice of such tiny creatures as earthworms, she said.
Launching an onslaught on Kerala society, she said Malayalis continue to mock transgender people through their films and mimicry. This gets reflected in public life as well. The struggle of the transgender people, ostracised from families and society, is to survive. Rejected by all, they are forced to turn to sex work or begging for survival, she said.
The Literary festival, at Bolgatty Palace, will see N.S. Madhavan delivering a keynote address on Thursday. Vocalist T.M. Krishna will speak on artists and society.
Film-maker Divya Bharati, whose film Kakkoos presented the reality of manual scavenging, will talk to C.S. Venkiteswaran.
