Does gender matter???

God made man and woman. Boy grows up to be a man and girl, a woman. This is one of the first facts of life that we teach every child. Despite we being aware of another gender existing, we choose to snub the very existence of eunuchs. The dictionary meaning of a eunuch is a man who is castrated or who is not masculine and something on similar lines. If they are neither masculine nor classified as woman, then it is quite natural to given them an identity of their own and treat them just like any other human being. Over the years the fairer sex, woman, have been ill-treated in many ways and in some parts of the world, they are still fighting for what they deserve – RESPECT!  Does anybody think of eunuchs in this fight for justice and respect? They are shoved aside and glared at.

In a country like India, we often get to see many eunuchs recourse to begging or prostitution and most of us screw up our face in repulsion or turn away quickly in fright. How many of them have a respectable job and how many of us would treat them equally if they were to be our colleague or even employ them? Documentaries, movies, social groups and movements portraying eunuchs in a good light and also, asking for support from men and women are abundant.  But can we really empathise with them? Will we ever be able to imagine their plight of facing every new day? Is it sufficient for us to just understand their condition and feel sorry for them and not abuse or taunt them? Will that prevent them from being considered as an outcast? Will that improve their life? Well, I am not really sure how I can make a difference to their life other than expressing my sympathy for their ill-treatment. In fact, there are eunuchs in India who have made a name for themselves. I can recollect a person by name ‘Rose’ who was educated in the US and got back to India and hosted a talk show in one of the regional languages about flaws in the society. I can also think of a celebrity hair stylist named ‘Sylvie’ who was very popular in the film industry. So what about the other 1000s of eunuchs in India?

The other fact of life that we learn quite early is man and woman love each other, get married, have kids and live happily ever after. Again, we do not teach our children about some people who have a sexual preference quite different from what is generally assumed to be. We do not consider a man having a relation with another man, or a woman with another woman to be a natural occurrence. Though same–sex relationships and marriages have been accepted and approved of in some parts of the world, it is still a taboo to most of us.  Sexual orientation is one’s personal choice and nobody can be judgemental about it. The very mention of the word ‘gay’ or ‘lesbian’ raises eyebrows and an exchange of an un-called for conversation is unavoidable. There are special pubs and bars for the homosexuals which the others might not step foot in. Again, isn’t this a type of social outcast?

There are many celebrity homosexuals in the world of films, sports, art, literature and others, but they sure would have faced unmentionable abuse and discrimination during their formative years. There are many people who try to live ignoring their preferences and hence, end up ruining their life. Everybody deserves to love and be loved in this world. If God created humans, then we should understand that there are different kinds of people with different set of preferences and opinions. Everybody is unique and deserves to be treated with respect. We should be non-judgemental because we have no rights to judge anybody and everybody has the right to live their life their own way. Accept people the way they are and be accommodating is the least each one of us can do.