Seminar tells tale of transgenders’ affection

CHENNAI: The seminar organised by students of the department of social work on the theme ‘Transgender- the forgotten gender” at the D G Vaishnav College on Thursday, was an eye-opener in more ways than one.

Priya Babu, writer-activist and president of the Tamil Nadu Aravanigal Association, spoke at length about the family structure prevalent within the transgender community. She said, “Once people become transgenders, they are cut off from the society. It is the transgender community which welcomes them into its fold, with a transgender from the community taking on the role of a mother to the new entrant, thus establishing a mother-daughter relationship between two persons”.

The family structure within the transgenders is called as the Jamat, which becomes the adopted family of the newly joined person. Added Priya Babu, “When a person enters into the community, it is this Jamat which provides the necessary support in the form of food and shelter and also the emotional support to cope with the change.”

Anto James, advocacy officer from the Social Welfare Association for Men (SWAM), who also works among transgenders, spoke on the sex reassignment surgery and problems they face after the surgery.

More than a hundred students participated in this seminar which threw a new light on those pushed to the fringes of society, the third gender - the transgenders.