Appearances are deceptive….
God has made all human beings with equal strength, thinking capacity, locks, etc. He never discriminated against his own children. Men and women have equal strengths and capacities in everything. Though men may be stronger, women excel in every field, just like men. Women have a strong capacity for holding emotions and can also resist bigger pains.
But apart from these two genders, there are many other different gender categories that came into being. like gay, bisexual, lesbian, eunuchs, etc. They are also human beings, but this narrow-minded society in India still holds on to its old traditional practices, and moreover, it doesn’t provide recognition to these categories in this society. People should be judged on the basis of their personalities and not their gender or appearance.
History also has many facts about it. Our mythological and religious texts, which are taken to be so sacred and holy in nature, tell about one form of Shiva, i.e., Ardhanarishwar. It is one form of Shiva, whose one half of the body is made up of men and the other half is made up of women. The woman part of the body is taken to be the “Goddess of Shakti” and the wife of Lord Shiva, Parvati. They are also said to be one soul, and they were always together. This form of Lord Shiva is regarded as clean, holy, and sacred. It is even respected by a lot of Hindu followers. There are also so many stories and facts written in our old scriptures and writings.
Pride Month is a whole month that is being celebrated for the respect and recognition of the LGBTQ community. It is a month of who they are and the unique offerings they bring to the world. Pride Month is celebrated every year in the month of June. This special time of the year is taken to commemorate Stone Wall Riots. This Pride Month is being followed by parades, community events, writing, one-act plays, etc.
Growing up and identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, etc. is very hard. Going through embarrassment, insults, and mockery every day is very hard for these communities. People make jokes out of them, which makes it really difficult for them to continue living in this judgmental world. On top of that, society still doesn’t accept them as humans, and they are often neglected and harassed. As a result, many of them commit suicide too.
Gay: a person, especially a man, who is sexually or romantically attracted to people of the same sex or gender.
Transgender: Designating a person whose sense of personal identity and gender does not correspond to that person’s sex at birth, or which does not otherwise conform to conventional notions of sex and gender.
Lesbian: denoting or relating to women who are sexually or romantically attracted exclusively to other women, or to sexual attraction or activity between women.
Bisexual: sexually or romantically attracted to both men and women, or to more than one sex or gender.Young people in the LGBTQ community are at higher risk of committing suicide as they become homeless and are often targeted for violence. This Pride Month also aims to promote slow protest and political awareness in the society. It is high time that we accept them and provide them with equal respect and opportunities as normal human beings. That’s why it is said that appearances are deceptive and that we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.
Mayrakshi Baishya
Cotton University
Ug 4th semester
Sociology Department