Don’t look for genders, prioritize newborn’s treatment as life first: Transgender Rituparna Neog at USTM

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaMarch 7, 2024

“When you first hear the word gender, what first comes to your mind? The question is whether the baby is a boy or a girl. This is the most dangerous question in the world because this tries to define our whole life,” said Rituparna Neog, Associate Chairperson of Assam State Transgender Welfare Board, here on Thursday.

Rituparna Neog, a transgender and a graduate of Tata Institute of Social Science was addressing an interactive session on “Redefining Gender Identities in the 21st Century: Challenges and Way Forward” organized by the Department of Sociology of the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (ISTM) on Thursday. 

Addressing a hall packed with young students, the resource person Rituparna Neog who has personally experienced gender-related identity conflicts, said, “Why do we need to talk about gender? There are different problems and issues in society and it is around gender. We need to redefine gender and need to talk about it.” 

In an enthusiastic and enlightening session, Rituparna said, “When we come to know that there is a newborn baby in someone’s home, the first question we ask is boy or girl? I say that this is the most dangerous question in the world. Why? Because this tries to define our whole life.”

“When everyone asks whether the baby is a boy or girl no one in this world says that a new life has just arrived in this world, or a new potentiality has just arrived which can change the whole world. Nobody tries to think like that. The question defines our whole life—who will eat what, who will be able to study in what kind of institute, who will get an education, who will do what kind of work, who will go outside home, who will remain confined in the home, who will wear what kind of dress and very many questions. Who will be the doctor, who will be the engineer and who will be a TET teacher is also decided,” she said. 

She said that the question is so dangerous that it decides what kind of opportunity who will get—who will get property and who will not. 

“The question suffocates someone’s life so much that one is bound to take away his or her life. Society expects that boys have to be strong always, they have to earn as much as they can, and even girls are expected to look in certain ways otherwise they are not women enough,” she also said. 

“A girl is not supposed to stand in society because she is ugly. And it’s not just about women, it’s not just about the transgenders but also the boys –it’s about everyone. It’s related to gender, something which has been socially constructed,” she added.

Speaking on the occasion, USTM VC Prof GD Sharma said, “The transgender who is commonly treated as an outcast needs societal acceptance. Being transgender is a biological issue and the person is not responsible for that. In a country where the education level is low, these things are creating problems. We need to respect humanity, irrespective of male or female or transgender”, he said.

Earlier, the welcome address was delivered by USTM advisor Dr RK Sharma.