On August 10, Manoj Shahi (who likes to be called Monica Shahi) from a small village in the Far-west became the first Nepali to receive passport under "Others" or "O" category. Breaking the tradition only male "M" or female "F" gender categories in the green passports, the state recognized the identity of a third gender. This move is more than incorporation of alphabet "O" in the passport; it offers new hope to members of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Transgender and Intersexual (LGBTI) community.
For the transgender, "O" is an official recognition. But more than that, it is the state honoring its citizens of all hues. It's a breakthrough in the movement of LGBTIs not only in Nepal but also the entire Asian region. Besides Nepal, Australia and New Zealand issue passports for sexual minorities under "X" category, beside male and female categories.
Monica Shahi, 37, received passport from the Department of Passport in the capital. Her happiness knew no bounds. She broke down before journalists who were there to support the achievement of the third gender fraternity. In fact, it was not only Monica's achievement but a victory of her community that is often treated in a condescending manner by society. She recalled multiple experiences of discrimination at the hands of both family members and society. This is the bitter reality of our society which cannot accept different identity of people and imposes its own narrow gender definitions and categories.
The Supreme Court in 2007 directed the government to amend laws to end discrimination against LGBTI citizens. The government had inducted a third gender category to census and the citizenship card only in 2011. It has been only a few months since the government amended the Passport Regulations to incorporate the "O" category. Till now, altogether 103 people from the LGBTI communities have acquired citizenship under "O" category. Now, all those can apply and acquire separate passports with their identities recognized.
In our society, when someone introduces oneself as a third gender, people treat that person like a criminal. They are mistreated and abused. They are given despicable epithets like 'chhakka' or 'hijada', and their speech, gait and activities mimicked.
Transgender people are socially and economically marginalized. They are mistreated everywhere. As a result, they are deprived of good education. Most of them are school drop-outs owing to discrimination from classmates and teachers. Later on, they are denied access to good jobs. All these discriminations lead to their marginalization. They cannot prove their capability as they are driven by fear of rejection or disapproval.
When Monica Shahi shared that her dream is to scale Mount Everest as the first transgender and enlist in Guinness Book of World Records, I was elated. After all, gender identity is not necessarily biologically determined. It's all about self-identification. Only the society has failed to recognize it as such.
The government has changed Machine Readable Passport (MRP) software just to include "O" category. It's undoubtedly a welcome move. After citizenship and passport, the LGBTI community is now advocating for same-sex marriage, still taken as a big taboo in our traditional society. It may take a long time but nothing is impossible as Nepal has more progressive policies on homosexuality as compared to other nations.
Granting passport to a transgender is a positive start. The society should respect the identity of third gender people and accept transgender as they are. They should be provided with an environment to introduce themselves on the basis of their sexual status and public conduct. They should not be treated with cruelty or pity, but rather as human beings. Only then can they be empowered for greater things.
There is a need to create equal opportunities for them in health services and education, in line with other minority groups. There shouldn't be any bureaucratic hurdles and excuses for denying some people opportunities just because of their sexual identity. Legal recognition is a good thing, but there should be meaningful implementation as well.
Published in Republica English daily, Aug 21 2015
http://myrepublica.com/opinion/story/26784/good-start.html
LGBTI community of Nepal in annual Parade: (Video-story) https://www.facebook.com/249104235215527/videos/vb.249104235215527/735582916567654/?type=2&theater
For the transgender, "O" is an official recognition. But more than that, it is the state honoring its citizens of all hues. It's a breakthrough in the movement of LGBTIs not only in Nepal but also the entire Asian region. Besides Nepal, Australia and New Zealand issue passports for sexual minorities under "X" category, beside male and female categories.
Monica Shahi, 37, received passport from the Department of Passport in the capital. Her happiness knew no bounds. She broke down before journalists who were there to support the achievement of the third gender fraternity. In fact, it was not only Monica's achievement but a victory of her community that is often treated in a condescending manner by society. She recalled multiple experiences of discrimination at the hands of both family members and society. This is the bitter reality of our society which cannot accept different identity of people and imposes its own narrow gender definitions and categories.
The Supreme Court in 2007 directed the government to amend laws to end discrimination against LGBTI citizens. The government had inducted a third gender category to census and the citizenship card only in 2011. It has been only a few months since the government amended the Passport Regulations to incorporate the "O" category. Till now, altogether 103 people from the LGBTI communities have acquired citizenship under "O" category. Now, all those can apply and acquire separate passports with their identities recognized.
In our society, when someone introduces oneself as a third gender, people treat that person like a criminal. They are mistreated and abused. They are given despicable epithets like 'chhakka' or 'hijada', and their speech, gait and activities mimicked.
Transgender people are socially and economically marginalized. They are mistreated everywhere. As a result, they are deprived of good education. Most of them are school drop-outs owing to discrimination from classmates and teachers. Later on, they are denied access to good jobs. All these discriminations lead to their marginalization. They cannot prove their capability as they are driven by fear of rejection or disapproval.
When Monica Shahi shared that her dream is to scale Mount Everest as the first transgender and enlist in Guinness Book of World Records, I was elated. After all, gender identity is not necessarily biologically determined. It's all about self-identification. Only the society has failed to recognize it as such.
The government has changed Machine Readable Passport (MRP) software just to include "O" category. It's undoubtedly a welcome move. After citizenship and passport, the LGBTI community is now advocating for same-sex marriage, still taken as a big taboo in our traditional society. It may take a long time but nothing is impossible as Nepal has more progressive policies on homosexuality as compared to other nations.
Granting passport to a transgender is a positive start. The society should respect the identity of third gender people and accept transgender as they are. They should be provided with an environment to introduce themselves on the basis of their sexual status and public conduct. They should not be treated with cruelty or pity, but rather as human beings. Only then can they be empowered for greater things.
There is a need to create equal opportunities for them in health services and education, in line with other minority groups. There shouldn't be any bureaucratic hurdles and excuses for denying some people opportunities just because of their sexual identity. Legal recognition is a good thing, but there should be meaningful implementation as well.
Published in Republica English daily, Aug 21 2015
http://myrepublica.com/opinion/story/26784/good-start.html
LGBTI community of Nepal in annual Parade: (Video-story) https://www.facebook.com/249104235215527/videos/vb.249104235215527/735582916567654/?type=2&theater
No comments:
Post a Comment