Recently, my friends and I made a documentary on transgender to participate in a documentary making competition. Whilst making this documentary we came across some astounding reports.
The area in which the transgendered lived was full of open gutters, garbage, and backwater. Upon interviewing them, we came across some heart wrenching stories.
The head of the transgender community, Sapna told us that the society treated them inhumanely. Their parents shunned them when they were very young, hence leaving them no other choice except for living a livelihood via prostitution or dancing.
“Allah created us just like every other human. We also had parents like others but this society still does not consider us humans.” She added.
She also went on to say, “we have observed that even if a transgender parents accept him/her, they eventually leave their parents’ home and live with their community as they feel more comfortable amongst their own kind. It gives them strength and a homely feeling.”
Not only did she state that they had always been denied the basic human rights of respect, shelter and sympathy but she put forth her grievances with the government. The government had done nothing to ensure such people were facilitated with proper education and employment opportunities as others, which is why they are living lives even worse than animals.
“You see numerous organizations striving to ensure basic human rights. However, never did even a single organization stood up for our rights. None of them ever looked upon the ghastly and miserable conditions we live in. It was the transgender community itself that stood up for its rights”.
Islam has also laid out principles with respect to the transgender. If a child is born with both the genders, it is required to let him/her reach puberty to assure the greater aspects of its gender. For instance if it has menses and some other minor male characteristics, then in such case the extra organs of that person can be removed surgically. However, such a decision can only be made once it is assured that the extra organs have no function and hence would not affect the sexuality or personality of the person.
IF the gender of the person cannot be ascertained in any case, then the person will remain a transgender. This person should not perform his/her prayer in congregation. If it is impossible to decipher the gender, then in such a situation that person would remain both-gendered.
Islam has already laid out principles to be followed with respect to the treatment of the transgender. They are to be shown as much respect, dignity and given as much rights as to any other person. Just as if some are born poor and some rich, similarly Allah made some people as males, some as females, and some as transgender. Hence, the only thing that serves as a judgment criteria for humans is their ‘piety’.
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