by: Sabreen Sukhija,16
We can see what huge potential transgender people have if only people will give us the respect to let us live “
-Rudrani Chhetri
Since the day you are born in this world you are taught to differentiate between good and bad, taught which certain words are meant to be spoken in public and which aren’t. Now, this list of certain words includes Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and Asexual.
Let me make something very clear from the beginning, the day some of us chose to be straight is the same day they chose to be LGBTQIA+. Some people who may listen to these terms may choose to ignore the deeper meaning behind these words and move on with their lives because today’s millennial’s are just stupid, immature and don’t know how to respect their religion and their communities.
The deeper meaning of these terminologies according to me, is the pain of not being able to come out as what you truly are or even if you do then get bullied or nagged about it from your family and friends. Self-consuming, as not being able to live freely and constantly being told that this is a disease you need to be cured of. You need to live like someone you are not. Hurting because no one supports you anymore and regretting the day you were born because why did God make me like this? WHY ME!?
But on the positive side of the spectrum, a person belonging to LGBTQIA+ community goes through feelings of liberation and independence, feelings of self-discovery and true love. All these feelings are ever-present inside them, but they are just suppressed. It’s like they are forced to trap their true identities inside a box because of the so-called modern society or as I like to call it the 15th-century society.
This society of ours which is so concerned for us(sarcasm!) that it would even cause harm to people by brutally torturing them just to get us to do what is right…..is truly atrocious. I don’t understand how having feelings towards a certain person changes the way people look at you. I mean if God wanted to maintain a balance of men and women in this world I am sure he wouldn’t have created members of the LGBTQIA+ community because as all religions say “We are the children of God, our mighty creator”.
Now speaking of religion, as per my understanding, no religious book opposes any kind of same-gender interaction. Well, then I wonder where do all these religious followers get their details about the LGBTQIA+ from. If they have a special link to God in some way, I suggest let us in on your little secret….till then keep your noses out of this.
Let’s come to our sweet, loving, open society which thinks that the only thing natural is what has been happening since the last so many years, well if you haven’t noticed, dear society, times have changed. being gay, lesbian, bisexual or a transgender is NATURAL. In my opinion, most of us are culprits of homophobia because whenever someone asks us if we support them then we obviously say that we do, because who wants to now be known as a ‘backward- minded oldie’.Yes, intellectually we all do support them, but how many of us viscerally do? my best guess is 2 out of 20.
Well, that’s what we need to change. We are all in work in progress. We all need to expand the horizons of our mind and think freely, empathise with others, support each other because this world works on the strong link between us all. We need to fight with these people to get them their basic human rights of education, marriage, work, etc. The LGBTQIA+ community has to go through so much. They always are forced to hide their true identity, they can’t express themselves truly. Think about a thirteen-year-old teenager who is sitting in the darkest corner of his/her room, covered with bruises inflicted by bullies for being a certain way and thinking about where will they find a rope in their house to hang themselves because there is no one to help them through their transition.
WE ALL NEED TO CHANGE. Just because someone falls in love with a person of the same gender doesn’t mean that they are abnormal. Be happy to have this life and accept what God has created around you. Don’t let some stupid orthodox belief hold you back from being a good person, a good friend, a trusted parent and an amazing teacher.
At the end of the day, the only thing I ask you to do is if someone asks you what your favourite colour is, your answer should be that it is a rainbow. You know why? because the rainbow doesn’t just represent the LGBTQIA+ community it has a larger meaning, a larger purpose for it is the representation of every existing community in this diverse world. It aims to bind all communities together to achieve …….LOVE that shines and makes everyone happy <3.
Just as the rainbow unites its seven colours, it unites us all as well