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Rest in Love | 7
ெபக இராவ கரிய ைழவதகான ம இதர இராவ நவனகளி பேகபதகான உரிைம, ெபகள சபள பாபாக, ககைல உரிைமக, சகல மாநலகளி சமபாறவாளகள தமண உரிைம (2015) இைவ இவரி பகளிட ெவலபட பரபலமான வழக ஆ.
ெபபா ஆகளாக இகற ெகாைக வபாளக ெபகளி உடகைள பற ெவத அவகள உடைல கப ைன தகளைத, அவா எதெவா நவன ஏைனய பாபாகைளேபால பானத அபைடய பாபா காட ெசதா, அவக அைன அரசாக நதகைள சைககைள இழக ேவ எப த வாதமாக இத. சமபாறவாளக தமண உசதமறதா அெமரிகாவ சகல மாநலகளி சடவமானதாக பவத அத எதபாளக “இ எம மரப எதரானதாக இகற” என வாதாயேபா ‘காலாவதயான கதாககளி ெதாகெகாபத மாநலக அமத வழக டா’ என தடமாக மததா.
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‘ரதனமாக ஆ.ப.ஜி’ (Notorious R.B.G) என வைளயாடா அைழகபட அவ, அெமரிக சட ம அரசய பகதைமய ஒ பாரபரியைத வ ெசறகறா. த வாநாளி ைற ேநாட ேபராயவ இதய அதனா மரணமைடதேபா, ெபக வாகளற ஒ காலத பறத அவ, இள ெபக தக வமசன சதைனைய ஆறைல ெவளிபத அதக வாகைள சதபகைள உதபதய ஒ ெவளிைய தன ைறய உவாகவேட ெசறகறா.
Disrupted Womanhood
Gemma Starlight of the Dark Star
hW ether some of us are assigned the gender of a woman at birth or live into it later on, deciphering our own womanhood is a complex life journey surrounded by contradicting social scripts and a lack of accessible tools for diverse meaning-making. That is because growing up in a white hetero-patriarchal society means that girls are informed about who they can and cannot be at every moment and in every space. Too often are misogynistic values pushed onto girls that designate them as property, reduces them to body parts, and deny them their agency.
As they come into themselves through their budding womanhood after enduring a girlhood of trauma, young women normalize the need to conform for survival, eventually becoming gatekeepers that adopt and regulate a very conservative, oppressive concept of what a woman is and a form of womanhood that is anything but her own.
It’s to say that women also sacrifice self-expression and healthy identity-building in exchange for partial acceptance and safety from society.
Sadly, this has massive consequences on how women create communities with one another. It disrupts how women see each other, falsely placing obstacles such as stigma and shame in the way of enduring friendship, especially with queer and transgender, black and brown women of colour.
From their earliest days, girls are subjugated to a wide array of sexist, gendered messages that are absorbed via their learning environments (schools, daycare, playspaces, etc) to their everyday forms of leisure (toys, fashion, video games, internet, etc). In this way, there is no rest that girls have from being relentlessly pressured to feel and interpret experiences in certain ways.
For instance, dolls and figurines (Barbie, Bratz, Monster
High, Equestria Girls, etc) play a very important role in informing girls about their own bodies and appearance.
Although some efforts are being made to diversify and make these toys more body-positive, messages of unhealthy body image, often associated with diet culture and white feminisms, are still dominant.
And when we look at the characteristics of these dolls, it is clear what they deem acceptable and what should be sought after: white ideal beauty. Specifically, thin, white/light-skinned, tiny waisted, clad in luxury (jewelry and high fashion clothes), passive and always needing help, tries to dub women’s minds as impossibly naive and with nothing vital to say or contribute, rich and able to travel to any destination, associates happiness with all the above and is unrealistically hyper-feminine and ready to serve.
All in all, there is a lot of meaning-making involved in playtime as it is when young minds begin to push how they perceive and make sense of their ever-shifting environment. Toys, more broadly then, are a form of comfort and an anchor for children’s emotional well-being through creativity.
At school, learning that a boy likes you when they hit you is another such terrible life interpretation that girls begin to carry with them into their adult life and into the early formings of their womanhood. Just this one belief alone about the relations of these genders leads to normalizing Violence Against Women. Girls are also mocked for their skin tone, ridiculed for their untamed hair, and shamed when making choices for themselves that are away from the toxicity of their living situation. At such a young age, girls can feel a deep sense of being exiled from their homes, being unable to participate safely and openly.
It doesn’t help that girls more often than boys experience intense forms of family pressure and unrealistic expectations of servitude. For example, while boys are able to embrace the freedom of their childhood, girls are more likely to be encouraged to stay home and assist with house-making. Additionally, much more forgiveness is granted to boys for any foolhardiness or disregard, whereas the slightest slipups from girls in the home can lead to a traumatic scolding. What if the girl wanted to play sports with the other kids instead of cooking? Then she is told how unreliable and selfish she is. What if she just wants to hang out with another boy? Then she is already labeled a whore by her family. There is no freedom for her, a girl.
Alas, there is this conundrum of parents giving their hearts to their children with promises of home and well-being at no condition. Yet, the reality is that parents become their daughter’s first bully, their first source of displacement, and a lifetime source of hopeless isolation. Specifically, it is because there are set conditions for a safe home that are always gendered, racialized, hetero-patriarchal, ableist, transphobic, and so much more.
By the time girls become adults, they carry a heavy legacy of trauma. Their perception of home and community has become warped by these negative ideals imposed upon them since birth. In continuing to also experience factors such as the weight of family expectations, straight men’s sexist attitudes, and peer pressure from white society, women start to make choices that benefit straight cis white people more often than themselves or other vulnerable groups.
Thus, there is also a greater acceptance to fulfill the roles and image of the ideal woman and her disrupted womanhood: strictly straight, cisgender, monogamous, light-skinned, man-pleasing, moral homemaker, childbearing, forever-smiling, an impossibly enthusiastic forever-sexually-available machine of duty.
It’s important to note that where a lot of women have gained a stronger consciousness of feminism and are more willing to combat sexism, a vast majority of girls and women do not have access to ongoing support in their livelihood, being in constant survival mode instead. With having to prioritize family, focus on their house duties, take care of people, be emotionally available to others, etc, they are less likely to resist the role of gatekeeper and fulfilling what they can of the enforced ideal woman. Additionally, these restraints disallow groups such as black and brown women of colour and queer and trans women from being able to participate. This is why white feminisms are an issue as only cisgender heterosexual white women can directly benefit from this advocacy.
In adulthood, we often repeat the behavior and actions that had a hurtful impact on our childhood. This is especially the case for women who are forced to carry generational trauma of constant violence, sexual predation and policing, lack of freedom to express themselves, and little to no comfort and safety in their living situations, usually due to abuse.
How this manifests in their later lives is often being just as forceful with their own girls, putting them through scrutiny and endless trials. They tend to adopt the same value system as men, meaning they believe there is only one way to be a woman and only one kind of natural woman. This is a dangerous pattern of everyday thinking that is divisive and oppressive.
It is the framework that standardizes heterosexuality, cisgenderism, and anti-LGBTQIA+ sentiment as the norm. It breeds racist and white supremacist attitudes. Of course, it is sexist, placing women as lesser beings who are to be dominated and must obey men. This is why queer and trans, black and brown women of colour experience disproportionately high rates of death, (trans)misogynoir, and a lack of shelter and safety to express themselves. It links from the framework of the everyday cisgender heterosexual man and woman that contains a dangerously pervasive spectrum of stereotypes that designates us as freaks or monsters.
Specifically, we are viewed as rapists, sexual deviants, perverts, medically insane, inherently immoral, and an obstacle for education and family structures. Ludicrously, we are also labeled as terrorists and conspirators when it comes to state-sponsored anti-LGBTQIA+ violence. This is all significant as it motivates and gives much reason for women who are socialized in this way to begin seeing other groups of women and their situations on strictly black or white terms, them or us logic. That’s because there is much to gain with social capital when one displays these values through visible shuns, exclusion, violence, and outright bigotry.
Coming back to the idea of disrupted womanhood, this is the context for relationships between dominant and vulnerable groups of women.
Consider the following:
Sandy is a femme trans-non-binary Asian woman of colour who is looking to open a new bank account. It’s just a 20-minute jaunt that cuts through the back of a schoolyard. She worries greatly as she often encounters problems with her ID. It used to be that her ID photo was not recent and didn’t capture her transition. This left a lot of folx thinking she had stolen another person’s ID and is trying to commit fraud. With it now updated, the situation revolves around how her picture looks very feminine, yet the gender on her ID still says, male.
She manages to get through the schoolyard quickly and into the downtown area where her bank is. In line, she scours the tellers for one that may appear to be much more trans-friendly. Of course, she avoids all men, looking to find a hopefully empathetic woman to take her. By the time it’s her turn, a man calls her. Nervous, she lets the person behind her go ahead. Finally, a white woman takes her, and relief swells up and glows on her face. She thinks it will be a breeze from here on out.
As she requests to open a bank account, she presents her IDs with confidence. The teller smiles, asking for just a moment as examines them. During the wait, Sandy notices the teller holding up one of the cards, looking back and forth from Sandy to the ID. Her heart begins to sink. She knows what this spells out and… The teller begins to speak after a brutally long pause. “Umm” , she mumbles. “Is this really you?” the teller glares strongly. Sandy is put into the very traumatic event of having to explain that she is transgender, that her entire body is evolving in the way she has always needed, to a completely rude ass stranger.
The teller doesn’t say anything except,
“transgender!?” She then asks for another moment and quickly shuffles over to her manager who is a white man. He glances firmly in the direction of Sandy, whispers to the teller. Returning, the teller coldly informs Sandy that her request is being denied. Sandy couldn’t handle it and immediately runs out, sobbing ferociously. As she rushes through the schoolyard, she trips just in front of a white mother and her child. Before they even ask if Sandy is okay, the mother grabs the child and they take a big step back. She chastises Sandy for getting too close to them, citing how covid-19 began with “people like her. ” Sandy is not moving or making any sounds, thinking to herself. She suddenly tries to get up, but her strength fails her. At that moment, the mother asks, “are you a boy or a girl!?” The child laughs as does the mother. In tears and laying collapsed on the ground with a devouring sense of hopeless damnation, Sandy begins planning on taking her own life.
Willow’s story is especially vital, too:
Willow is a black trans girl who is 8 years old. She has just recently come out to her mother, a single parent, and is feeling scared. She loves mum with all her heart and finds it difficult to endure her disappointment. To her surprise, her mom is accepting of her, although only because she thinks it is a phase.
For Willow, today is another day at school, and even before she arrives, she has to face the battle of trying to wear what she wants while resisting what her mum wants her to wear, boys’ clothes. She has to learn how to dress in the way she likes, how to ready her hair, and how to be a confident girl without the direct support of her mum. Even her leisure is dominated by her mum where Willow is still disallowed to play with girl’s toys or watch cartoons that feature all women, like Winx Club.
Finally at school, and as it usually is, Willow finds her heart pounding and tension within her rising. She hasn’t yet found the strength to directly look at her peers in the eyes, to not rush to every class exactly at the bell ring to avoid crowds, or to stand up to her teacher’s mockery. None of this is her fault. It is already too much for trans youth to carry. Things go on as they do, and for the most part, Willow feels like it’s an okay day. To her, being as she needs to be is all that matters. She is so happy to know that she is Willow and not the identity that her mum and the school have been trying to impose on her.
As the thought leaves her mind, a sudden impulse takes over her.
“Today I’m going to use the girl’s washroom. I don’t care what they say!” This is one experience that Willow has been holding back on. It is such an everyday thing to do, something that isn’t given a lot of thought to. For trans people, however, it can be a place of great violence and terror. Even so, Willow, like so many others, has the right to use their chosen washroom and to do their business in peace. Willow wants to take advantage of this surge of raw energy and runs to the washroom, not even bothering to ask her teacher. She arrives there, and before she could get to absorb the environment, take it all in, and use a stall, the other girls inside scream desperately. One of the girls mocks Willow while the shouting rumbles, saying, “my mommy told me about freaks like you. You aren’t allowed here. Ewwwww!”
A teacher rushes in and grabs Willow. Without any words or signs of empathy, she is being dragged to the principal’s office. “What were you thinking!?” , the principal chastises, just as Willow is literally thrown into the office. She is in tears and feels that the lump in her throat is too much to talk through. Her school is suspending her for using the girl’s washroom, stating they are a boy and must not be acting perversely. The principal tells her that her mother will be notified and that her presence has to be removed from the school until she stops “looking like a drag queen” , forming an expression of cringe as she dumps this bigotry onto Willow’s delicate mind.
Without any support from the school staff, she has to walk home alone for the first time since she has transitioned. As she cuts through the park, the parents and children grow silent. All in all, the white people of her neighbourhood make fun of her, saying how black children really are deranged. Black children already face this attitude, but its effect doubles with her transness. She runs back to her mum for comfort after the park incident, to then be told that the adults think she is very confused and mentally ill. That it is her fault for causing this and that life would be easier if she was just like everyone else.
From what we can see in these situations, cisgender heterosexual women who openly endorse queerphobic and transphobic sentiments do so to visibly communicate and affirm their beliefs and family values. By attacking queer and trans women, cisgender heterosexual women successfully distance themselves from our devalued social status. Thus, they fulfill the role of gatekeeper, protector of “family values” , and the servant of cisgender heterosexual men.
In turn, the impact on queer and trans, black and brown women of colour is deep. We experience heightened levels of suicide, homelessness, denial of social services, and being murdered by toxic cisgender, heterosexual peoples. Even more than others groups of women, queer and trans women face intense disposability and fetishisms, harmful sensationalisms, and tokenization.
In our lives more broadly, there are many everyday notions that we are also not included or represented in. We become excluded from ideas of romance and sex (depicted as monogamous, straight, male-dominated, centered on penetration and penis-to-vagina intercourse), happiness and friendship (depicted as non-gender diverse, strictly platonic, without variance for different boundaries and sexual exploration between consenting friends), and from creativity and critical thought (dubbed as white, eurocentric, male-dominated, heteronormative, etc). When it comes to representation in early childhood, we are entirely non-existent. Our right to exist remains to be so controversial that even the mere mention of queer/trans women is dubbed as obscene and inappropriate for kids to know about.
Thus, because we exist outside the ideal woman and even further away from her disrupted womanhood, we are denied our gender and all of its experiences, including the acknowledgment of having our own queer and trans womanhood. This point is very intimate to me as a queer brown trans woman of colour. While I have many shared realities and lived experiences with other women, my brownness and womanhood are too often denied by the fear of my transness. At most, other women just barely tolerate my existence.
And so, we can see how queer and trans, black and brown women can be denied by their own communities on the basis that their blackness, brownness, and womanhood are rendered invalid due to queer and/or transness. It’s as if facing brutal exclusion from white hetero-patriarchal capitalist society wasn’t already enough.
It’s important to note that the reason you never hear folx exclaim, “Trans Lives Matter” , is because people aren’t even armed with the basic knowledge of who trans and genderdiverse people are. It forces allies and non-allies alike to refer to us through stereotypes and fetishisms! When folx see trans and gender-diverse peoples as a joke and/or sex toy, as a freak without a leash, how can they see us as human? Combined with factors of racism and sexism that many visibly dark-skinned folx endure, existing is constant exhaustion.
We need to see in each other how difference is healthy, that we have many layers to our struggles that overlap, that we recognize our shared need for safety and happiness.
On that note, it is important to emphasize that how womanhood is for each of us is amazingly different. It is a reflection of the weaving of social realities that women are both consensually and unconsensually embedded in. It is a social construct that we can use as a canvas to express our personhoods and survivalhoods.
Womanhood can be our ancestral history, our connection with other women, how we output and gather our energies, and our community skills for intersectional knowledge-making and resilience. It can be how we celebrate our queerness, come into our transness, and as a way of healing with QT folx who have come before us.
We need to open up further avenues of mutual understanding to include the stories of ALL women. We must be much more than the sisterhood of white feminisms!
ஒ சக மகளி உரிைமக மகப ெபா, ஒ சபாைம சகத இ ேகவறயாகப ெபா, ஒ சக இெனா சகதைன அடக த அதகாரதைன அவக பரேயாகக எதனி ெபா தம உரிைமகைள ெபெகா ேநாட தம சக இபைன உத ெச தமகான அகாரைத ெபெகா ேநாகைத அபைடயாக ெகா பேவபட ேபாராடகைள ஆத ேபாராடமாகேவா அல அகைச ைறயலான ேபாராடமாகேவா அசக ெனகற. இவாறான ேபாராடக ஆத கால ெதாடக காலகாலமாக உலகநாக பலவற இடெப வதைத நா அறேவா. அவாறான சக மகளி ேபாராடக பல கனமான இடகைள கட தமகான சக இபைன உதெச இ எம எம எதகால சததயனமான வரலாறாக, உ சதயாக வளகறன. கேரக காலத அைமக தான அடைறக, ேமகேதய நாகளி ைழேதய நாக தான அடைறக, அெமரிகாவ நலவய அைமைறசக தான அடைறக, ெதஆபரிகாவ நலவய நற தான அடைறக ேபாறவற எதராக கால காலமாக இடெபற ேபாராடகளி வைளவாகேவ பல சகக, பல ைழேதய நாக ததர காறைன இறள வாசக யதாக இகற. இவாறான ேபாராடகேள இ உலக எபாகத இடெபெகா உரிைமகான ேபாராடக வநாதமாக உசதயாக உளன.
LGBTQIA+ rights are human rights! This pride, let's reflect on the commonalities of how Tamil, queer, and trans folx endure state violence in their pursuit of happiness and safety. There is so much to learn as a community, to expand what it means to be Tamil and to diversify community engagement for the sake of more connected solidarity.
To stand up for LGBTQIA+ Tamil voices is to stand up against a history of colonialism, of the erasure of Tamil history. The ongoing violence that targets trans and queer folx is just one part of the terrible legacy of British rule. The world of ancient Tamil was once a polyamorous, genderdiverse, multi-reality paradise that was swept underfoot and replaced with a eurocentric vision of heterosexuality, cisgenderism, monogamy, whiteness, and so much more.
For the spring issue, we are so delighted to publish an article by activists associated with Jaffna Sangam: Tamil Speaking LGBTQIA+ Community (Sri Lanka). In a journey of unlearning and relearning, let's work together to understand one another as a radical act of defiance and reclamation! - Gemma Starlight of the Dark Star
அத வைகய பல ஆகாலமாக உலக பேவ பாககளி பர வா பாைமயன தம அபைட உரிைமககாக, தம சக இபைன உதபவதகாக ேபாரா வகறன. பல தசாதகளாக ெதாட ேபாராவ பாைமயன சகத தமகான சக அகாரதைனேய ேவ நகறன. பேவ ெதாட ேபாராடகளி ெபேபறாக இ ேமகைதய நாக பலவற பாைமயனககான உரிைமக அகரிக பளன. அவககான தமணக சடவமாக பள. அவகளி இபைன தகைவபதகான சடக பாராமறகளி இயறபள. அவகெகதராக அத இைழகபெபா தமறகைள நா தமகான தயைன ெபெகா சட ஏபாக காணபகறன.
இவா பாைமயன ஆதரவான எணேவாடக ேமகேதய நாகளி அவக சாபாக மாறவ சதபத அத ற மாபடதாக ைழேதய நாகளி பா ைமயனரி உரிைமக மகப அவகளி இ இெபா ேகவளாகபவ வதமளிபதாகேவ உள. இலைக ேபாற ைழேதய நா அத றபாக தமிழக வா வடகழக பாைமயன தமகான உரிைமகாக, தமகான அைடயாள அகரிபகாக ெதாட ேபாராடகைள ம வழிண நடவைககைள ேமெகா வவதைன கடத காலகளி பாைகய அைமகாலமாக யள அவதானிக யதாக உள. பாைமயன ஆதரவாக எவத சட ஏபாக இலைகய காணபடாத நைலய அத ஆதரவாக ெசயபவ எப மிக சவாலான வடயமாகேவ ேநாகபகற.
பாைமயன எ றபடபபவக யா எற வனாவைன சாதாரணமாக ஒ கவசக சா வேலா, மாணவசக சா வேலா அல சாதாரணமாக பாமர மக வேலா எேவாமாய ெபபாலானவக அ ெதாடப ஓ ரிதேலா, வளகேமா காணபடாத நைலயைன நா காணலா. இ இவாறக வடகழக பாைமயனகான அைடயாளதைன ம உரிைமகைள ெவெறத எப எடாகனியாகேவ காணபகற.
அதவைகய பாைமயன எேபா யா எ ேநாேவாமாய, அ பா (sex), பான (gender) ம பா (sexuality) அபைடய ஒைறபதபகற ஓ சபாைம சக. எம தமிேப சகத ஆ (male), ெப (female) எ பாக, மாறாபானதவக (cisgender) உ எதபாேளா (heterosexual people) உ சாதாரணமயபதபள நைலய இைடயக உைடேயா (intersex people) ேபாற ேவபட பாைடேயா, தந (transgender), பா தரவநைலைடேயா (gender fluid people) ேபாற ேவபட பான ெகாேடா, தபாேளா (homosexual people), பா அேறா (asexual people) ேபாற ேவபட பா ெகாேடா பாைம சகத உளடகபகறாக. இதைன கமாக LGBTQIA+ சக என றபட .
இவா தைம பாைமயனராக அைடயாளபத வேபா பேவபட இனக கெகாகறன. தமிழகைள வகமாக ெகாட வடகழக பேவ இகமான சக கபாக, வழகாக, சாதய ஒைறக இறள காணபகறன. இ வடகழைக கமாக ெகாட பாைமயன தைம பாைமயனராக அைடயாளப சதபகளி பேவ இனகைள எதேநாகறன. அத றபாக ெபபாலான பாைமயன பாடசாைலய கவ க வயதனிேலேயதா தைம பாைமயனராக உண தைம அைடயாளபத ைனகறன.
பாைமயன ெதாடபான எவத ரித இலாத பாடசாைலய வபாசரியரா, சக மாணவகளா, பத தைலவகளா ேகபதப தடைன உளாகபகறன. இவாறான பல சதபகைள நா அைனவ எம பாடசாைல காலத சக மாணவக ஏபதைத கடேத வதேபா. இவா பாதபைன எதெகா பாைமயன அதைன எதெகாள யாம தம கற ெசயபாகைள இைடநகறன. இவா இ ெதாடபான அைடயாளபத ெசயபாக ஆரப ேபா ெபேறாரினா கைமயான தடைன உளாகபகறன. அத அதசபசமாக அவக ைடவ ெவளிேயறபகறன.
இவறகான ல காரணமாக தம பைளகளி ெசயபாக தமள சக அததைன பாதவேமா எற அசேம ெபேறாக மதய காணபகற. அவா ைடவ ெவளிேய பாைமயன உதவகள சரியான வழிகாதல தம அபைட ேதைவகைள ட நைறேவற ெகாள யாம பல பகைள எதேநாகறன. ஆய சல பாைமயன இவறைன தா சகத தமகான ஒ அைடயாளதைன உவாக ெவறகரமாக வா ெகாபைத காணலா. அவாறானவகளி ெவறரிய காரணைத ஆரா பாதா அவக அவகளி ப உபனகளி அல நபகளி ரிணட ய ஆதர இபதைன நா கவனிகலா. ஆனா இ அைன பாைமயன கைடபதைல.
தமிழகைளதமிழகைளதமிழகைள கமாககமாககமாக ெகாடெகாடெகாட வடகழகவடகழகவடகழக பேவபேவபேவ இகமானஇகமானஇகமான சகசகசக கபாக,கபாக,கபாக, வழகாக,வழகாக,வழகாக, சாதயசாதயசாதய ஒைறகஒைறகஒைறக இறளஇறளஇறள காணபகறன.காணபகறன.காணபகறன. இஇஇ வடகழைகவடகழைகவடகழைக கமாககமாககமாக ெகாடெகாடெகாட பாைமயனபாைமயனபாைமயன தைமதைமதைம பாைமயனராகபாைமயனராகபாைமயனராக அைடயாளபஅைடயாளபஅைடயாளப சதபகளிசதபகளிசதபகளி பேவபேவபேவ இனகைளஇனகைளஇனகைள எதேநாகறன.எதேநாகறன.எதேநாகறன.
இவா பாடசாைல கவைய இைடநவ ைகவ ைடவ ெவளிேய பாைமயன தமகான இைப தகைவபத பேவ சககைள எதெகாகறன. தமகான அபைட ேதைவகளான உண, உைட, உைற ேபாறவைற ெப ெகாவத பாரிய இனகைள எதெகாகறன. அதஉசபசமாக பாய ெதாதரக க ெகாகறன. இவா ததாக ஆதரவ ெவளிேய நபக ஏகனேவ இவா ெவளிேயற தமகான இபைன ஓரளேவ தகைவத பாைமயன ஆதரகர உதவ ெசகறன. இவாறான உதவக கைடப நரதர ெதாழி வாக, கவ ெசயபாகைள ெதாடத, ேபாறைவ எடாகனியாேவ காணபகற.
தைம அைடயாளபத எப அைனவ எ வைகய மிக சாதாரணமான வடயமல. அவா தம பாநைல ம பா ெதரிவைன தம பதேலா, பாடசாைலயேலா, நபகளிடேமா ெவளிபத எப மனதளவ மிக கனமானெதாறாகேவ காணபகற. தம பாநைலயைன ெவளிப ெபா அத எவைகயான லகக சகத கைட எப ேகவறயாகேவ உள. இத காரணமாகேவ தைம அைடயாளபத ெகாவத பாைமயன பல தயகறன. இதகான மாற அபைட ப கடைமபேத உவாக ேவ. தைடய மக அல தைடய சேகாதர, சேகாதரி, நப, நப ஒ பாைமயன எபைத ெவளிபைடயாக ஏெகாள வரேவ. அவாறான மாற ப கடைமப ஏப பசத தா நா சக மாறதைன எதபாக .
இறள தம பாநைல ம பாபைன அைடயாளபேபா அ ஒவைகயான மனபற ேநா என அதரிய ைவதய ேமெகாடா அைன சரியாகவ என ைவதயரிட அைழ ெசவ, தமண ைவதா சரியாகவ என தமண யசக ேமெகாவ சவசாதரணமாக அரேகற ெகாகறன. இவா ைவதயசாைல அைழ ெசலப ைவதய ஆேலாசைனயைன வழ ைவதய உதேயாகதக ட இதைன வளகெகாளா தவறான வழிபதகைள அவகளி ெபேறாரிட வழவெதப மிக ேவதைனரிய வடயமா.
ேம ஒ தநைக (trans woman) அல தநப (trans man) தமரிய மவ ஆேலாசைனகைள ெவளிபைடயாக ெபத எப மிக சவாலானதாகேவ காணபகற. இதரிய மாற சக வழிணவற ஒெபா ஏபடா. நா இவாறான பல சதபகைள கட வதேபா. ஆய எம பைளக அல எம சேகாதரக தைம பாைமயனராக அைடயாளப ெபாதா எமா அ ெதாடபான அபவகைள ேநரயாக காணயதாக இ.
இ எதைன ஆயர பாைமயன தம அைடயாளகைள மைற சாதாரணமாக எம சதாயதஅபைட அகாரமிற வா வகறன எபதைன க அறகளா? அபைட பாநைல ம பா ெவளிபத இற வாத எப எவள பகரமான நக எபதைன க அறகளா? எனேவ எ சகமனிதக எைம ேபாற சம உரிைமக உ, அவககான அகாரைத நா வழகேவ எற உண அைனவ ஏபடேவ. ேம பாடசாைல ஆசரியக இ ெதாடபான யள வழிணவைன ெகாக ேவ. அவாறதா வழிண மிக சதாய மாறதைன ஏபதலா. ஆரபத பாடசாைலகாலகளிேல பாைமயனெரன இனகாணப பசத அவக ஆதரகர டலா. அவககான தனபைகயைன ஊடலா.
ேம உக நபகளி எதைன ேப தம பாநைல ம பா அைடயாளகைள மைற ெசாலயாத ேவதைனகட உகட பழகெகா இபாக எ ெதரிமா? தெபா உலெக தைலவரிதா ெகாேறானா ேநாய தாகதா எமி பல தனிைமபதைல அபவதேபா, உணதேபா. தனிைமபத எப எவள ெகாைமயான, எவள மன அதைத தரய எபைத நா அைமகாலமாக க கேபா. தனிைமபத ஏபதய மன அதத வைளவாக எதைன ேப தெகாைல ெச ெகாளன எபைத பதரிைக வாயலாக ெதாைலகாச வாயலாக, சக வைலதளகளி வாயலாக அறதகேறா. சாதாரணமாக பதநா நாக தனிைமபதைல தாகெகாள யாதவகளா இ நா, இசகத பறதத தனிைமபத இ பாைமயன எவள மன அதத உளாகயபாக எவள பகைள எதெகாளா எபதைன ச சத பாக. அவக யாவரின எதபா தம அபைட பாநைல ெவளிபதகைள தசா சக ஏெகாள ேவ எபதா.
எனேவ வடகழக வா தமி மகளாகய நா பாைமயனகான சக அகாரைத வழக அவக எட இைண தம வாவயைல வாழ வழிசைமக வர ேவ. உலக எபாகத பர வரி வா அைன பாைமயன தம உரிைமயைன ெவெறக, தம அபலாைஷகைள உலக ெதரிவக, தம இைப உதபத, தைம அைடயாளபதெகாள இத யமரியாைத மாதமான ெகாடாடபகற.
ஆனி மாதமான பாைமயனரா யமரியாைத மாத என ெகாடாடபகற. உலெகக பர வரி வா பாைமயன தா ெவெறத உரிைமகளி ெவறயைன ெகாடாட இனிவ காலகளி தம ேதைவயான உரிைமகைள ெவெற ஒ களமாக இ யமரியாைத மாததைன ேநாகறன. பேவபட நாகளி இ யமரியாைத மாதத பேவபட ேபரணிகைள நடாகறன. இவாறான ெசயபாகேள அவகளி சக இைப தகைவ எபத எவத ஐயமிைல.
ேமகைதய ம ைழேதய நாகளி நைடெப யமரியாைத மாத ெசயபாக இலைகய அ வடகழக மிக ைறவானதாக காணபவ இன எமகான அகார கைடகவைல எபைதேய பைறசாற நகற. இவாறான நைலய பாைமயனரி அபைட உரிைமககாக இய எம அைம தமா இயற நககைள ெசயபாகைள ெசவகற. வடகழக பலாயரகணக பாைமயன வாகறன எப இகைரைய வாச உக பல ஆசரியமளிகலா. அவகளி பல தெபா இலைகய ெகாவ ேநாயனா ஏபள ெபாளாதார மதநைல காரணமாக ேவைலய இ கபளன, ஊதயம இகறன. இதனா பல ெபாளாதார ெநகய மதய உழெகாகறன.
** காேரா ைர ம மகவ: ''யாபாண சக: தமிேப LGBTQIA+ சக' எகற அைமைப சாத ெசயபாடாளக.
சவகசவகசவக சகதசகதசகத
பரபாத
பயெசைகய சைய ெகா கமிநாசனிக த உணைவ எ ெசயாெதன நப ைவகபடேபால, ஒேர ைரய , த நடைதகளி ெதற வைறய வசதைம த பைளகைள அைடயாெத தாகாெத ெபேறாக நகறாக. ேம, பைளகளா உணரய ர எலாேம நடெகாைகய ெபரியவக இ ேககறாக: சவகளிட நாக எைத ெசாலலா?
சவகளாகய அவக இத உலகைத ேசதவகேள எனி இத உலக அைன கைள அற தத அவ. அ – அவகள ெமாழிய ரிகற வைகய –ெசாலபட ேவய எபேத ஒேர நபதைனயாக இ. அவகள உல ெசவத அவகள ெமாழிய ெசாவத – பளிய ெசாெகாதா அைவ ெதாடப ேககபகற ேகவக பதக –உைரயாடைல ெதாடர ெபரியவகதா ெபாைமேயா ேநரேமா இைல. ஆதலா, சவக பாய கவயா? ேவடா. இனவாத பாவாத பறய கவயா? தநக றதா? ேவடா. அைவ அவகைள அைடயாளசக தளிவ. ழபவ. இவா ெசா நகவ இபத இலவான ேதவாக வகற.
வாவதகான ெபாளாதார ெநகக ெந கால சவாக நைறதேத. உட சதைய ேவைலய இழதவகளாக உைழ வக ெபறவக பைளகைள வளப கைளடய ெப ேவைலேய. றபாக தனிதாயா தனிதைதயா பைளகைள வள ஒைற ெபேறா இர உைழைப ெவளிய ெசய ேவய நைல இகற. ெபாளாதார உளிட அத அதகட ஓகறவக வழி பா பைளக வள ெபரியவகளாக வகறாக. அவகள வளசய தத இைடககான ேநரைத ெபாளாதார ேதைவக தவகறன.
அதயாவசயமற ெபாக, பரிக பைளகட ெசலவளிக யாத ேநரதகான றஉணவ மாடாவ, இர ேவைலகட எவள கரப வள ஏ தம கர ெதரியாதவகளாக அவக வளவகறாக என வகறமா வா நகவகற. உைமய தா கரபடதா த பைளகைள கர ெதரியாம வளகற தைம எலா சககளி உ. ஆனா ெபேறாைடய ேவைலய மத, அவக ெவளிய ெசகற ேவைலய மத எபன பைளக ெபாக ெகாகப வளகபவடாக கடதபகற ஒ. அவக வாக நைனகற ஒ அதயாவசயமற வைளயாெபா, அத ெபமத, தம ெபேறாரி எதைன மணிதயால ேவைல எப த மாத வமான, ெசல வைர பைளகட ச வயதேலேய எளிய கணக ஊடாக பகரபகறேபாேத தா வளகற ழ ெதாடபான அறைவ ெகாடவகளாக, அைத வளகறவகளாக, உைழைப மதபவகளாக அவக வளர .
ெசாவ இலதா எறா, உைழ வகதனேகா தன மா உலக இைழக அவத பைளவளைப ெபரி பாதபைவ. தாகரமா வள ெவ அரசய (hate politics), இைணயத ஆதக, அதேக உரிய கசக, அவற மா தைமக காரணமாக தய தைலைறையேசத ெபேறாரா ட ஈெகாக யாதப தைம தன ப ெகாகறனவா இகறன அதைய சா சதக.
இ யதாத மபதகைல எனி லக ேபாற பல இலவச வளக இகய இநா அவைற பைளவளப பயபதெகாவட எம ழ அரசயக ெதாடப நா எைம பெகாவ இயறள பைளகட ெதாட உைரயாடகளி ஈபவ அடாக றய பரசைனக ெதாடப அகைற ெகாட இசக மனிதகளாக அவகைள வளெதத பெகாவ கயமான. இட தானா எலா மா எப பைழய ெபாேயதா, நா எப அவகைள வெதகேறாேமா (modeling) அபதா பைளக வவ ெபவாக. வளத ெபரியவகளி ேநமைறயான இைட அ ேபாகறேபா வரலா ெதரியா சக அகைறயற தனலமான அைரஉயகைள உபதெசகறவக ஆகேறா. இப வளகறவக, தா அறாட எதெகாகற அவகெகதரான வடயகைளட அைடயாள காண ெதரியாம உவாகறாக.
ஈழத இ வக நலகான ெபறவகள ட பயணத தடகைள – தா வத வரலாறைன –அறயாதத ஒ ைமயற தைலைறைய தா வ ெசல . றபாக சபாைம இனகளாக, ஒெவா இனகளின வரலா கைதக அத தைலைறயட கடதபவ, பகரபவ பரதானமான. இ வ த வத த ெபைம கைதகைள அல. ெவ ெபைமெகாளதகைவயற – அைவயைவ ஓ இனமாக எதெகாட அதகைள அடைறய ஆழகைள கைதகைளேய பகதேல ேதைவ.
அவைற றதளி பாேபாமானா, எம வாேவ க லபடாத பல அரசயகளி சகம எகறேபா ஒகபடவக அத அடகமதவக தம கைதகைள அத தைலைறகளிட எவா எ ெசவ? தத அதபட வரலாற அதகைள, இனபெகாைல அல ஆணவெகாைலைய சவ உளவயைல ரிெகா எஙன வளவ? தமிழகளிட ஊறதைள இனவாத, சாய, ெகாைமகைள சக ேவைமகைள பற அவக ரிெகாள ேதைவயைலயா? அவைற எலா கைளெய எறயாம ‘பன ரி ெகாள” என வவடலாமா?
"க” (2017) எகற ஆவணபட இதயாவ பர ெதாழிலாளகளாக இைற ைகயா மல அ நைலய ைவகபகற மனிதகைள பறய. அெதாழி ெதாடபள அரசாகத அலசயைத, அைத ெச ஒகப சகதன ஒ அரசாக ேவைலரிய சைககைள தா ெபற யாம ‘பதஆ’களாக இைடதரககளா அமதபபெமன பல பரிமாணகளி சாதய அடைறகைள அதமாக ேபசய ஆவண. இதைகய படகளி ேபசபகற வடய ெபரியவககான எனி, அ ெதாழிலாளகளி பகைள ேசத – அவைற க வளகற சவகைள அ பாதபதைலயா? ேம, ழைத ெதாழிலாளக ற பாய ெதாழிகாக கடதப சவகைள ைவ ஆவணபடக உளன; பல ெபரியவகள மனநைலையேய ைலக வலைவ. அதனா சவக கனதயானைவெயன தவகபட ேவட படா, நா வா இநலத வக க நகத இனபெகாைல வரலா ற, சமகாலத காணாம ேபா வக ெபக பற – சவ பரேயாகளாவ பற – ேதவாலய வளாககளி இன ேதாடபடேவய சவ ைதழிக பற ேயாசக ேவ. எைத தவகலா? எைத பகரலா?
இத வகட எதபா அதைகய அடைறகைள தன எதெகாபவக ெவளிய ந வவ. இ ஆவண படகைள எவ அழ அகவடய படபபாளகைள ேபாலேவ, அடைறகைள தவக கற இடத இகற, ஒ ெவளியாரிய சைகைய ெகாளவரா (Outsider Privilege) இதைகேயா இக வைத காணலா. இத றபட சாராைர ேபாலற சக ஏறதாகளா பாதகபகறவக – அவக சவக எபதா ‘சைக” காடபவதைல.
ஏெதாபட சக ஒைறகைள எதெகாகறவகைள ேபாலவற அத ெவளியபவகளாக (பாகாபான ெதரிகைள ெசயய சைகைய ெபறவக) ெவ பாைவயாளகளாக ம இப ஒவைகய றேம. அட ழைத ெதாழிலாள, வைம ேபாலவற சவதான உட, உள, பாய பரேயாககளி யா ரத இைல – எத வகைத ேசதவ (அஃதா எசைக ெபறவ) அத தவதைல. ஆதலாதா சவகைள அரசய க ெச தம ேநகறவைற ற ேபச யாதவகளாக அவகைள டகவடா, நா சக அதக ெதாடபாக – ஒெவா வய த ேப ஆககைள ைவ – ழைதக உபட அைனவட பபட பகவடதா அைவெகதரான ெசயபாகளி ஒறைணவ எதராக சதப மாறைத ேவவ சாதயமா.
Team Team Team Attem Attem Attem
PratheepaPratheepa ThiThi -- isis oneone ofof thethe foundingfounding editorseditors ofof AttemAttem Journal;Journal; HerHer worksworks havehave beenbeen publishedpublished inin variousvarious printprint mediums.mediums. SheShe isis interestedinterested inin tellingtelling storiesstories exploringexploring issuesissues thatthat affectaffect peoplepeople ofof colourcolour andand theirtheir journeyjourney inin general.general.
TW:TW: pratheepathipratheepathi
ThanyaThanya isis a a poet,poet, activist,activist, andand organizerorganizer forfor manymany ofof MFFCMFFC -- ScarboroughScarborough WomenWomen Collective’sCollective’s programsprograms suchsuch asas exhibitions,exhibitions, andand collaborativecollaborative works.works. SheShe hashas cofoundedcofounded MFFC,MFFC, asas wellwell asas AttemAttem Journal.Journal. SheShe continuescontinues toto combinecombine activismactivism andand artart andand hashas publishedpublished herher poetrypoetry bookbook ‘About‘About anan Adventuress’Adventuress’ inin 2015.2015.
IG:IG: thanyathillaithanyathillai
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GemmaGemma StarlightStarlight ofof thethe DarkDark StarStar isis anan outspokenoutspoken advocateadvocate forfor transtrans andand queerqueer rightsrights inin thethe OttawaOttawa region.region. SheShe isis a a cutesycutesy bundlebundle ofof chaoschaos whowho focusesfocuses mostmost ofof herher worksworks intointo acknowledgingacknowledging women'swomen's anger,anger, transtrans andand queerqueer survivalhoods,survivalhoods, andand resistanceresistance toto cis-cishetero-patriarchyhetero-patriarchy inin a a frameworkframework ofof feministfeminist horror.horror. InIn additionaddition toto beingbeing a a visualvisual artistartist andand writer,writer, GemmaGemma isis alsoalso anan aspiringaspiring poet.poet. SheShe givesgives deepdeep thanksthanks toto thethe TamilTamil womenwomen inin herher lifelife forfor givinggiving herher thethe toolstools andand opportunitiesopportunities toto flourishflourish inin herher arts!arts! Let'sLet's go,go, teamteam Attem!!Attem!!
IG:IG: @mother.jesterina@mother.jesterina
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KavusalaKavusala LuxmeLuxme isis a a freefree spiritspirit withwith a a widewide rangerange ofof interestsinterests andand experiences.experiences. SheShe hashas hostedhosted a a TVTV programprogram forfor OMNIOMNI multiculturalmulticultural TV,TV, contributedcontributed andand editededited numerousnumerous books,books, magazines,magazines, andand articlesarticles includingincluding AttemAttem JournalJournal thatthat sheshe cofounded.cofounded. Additionally,Additionally, herher lovelove forfor thethe TamilTamil languagelanguage andand historyhistory mademade herher gaingain a a Bachelor'sBachelor's inin TamilTamil StudiesStudies viavia AnnamalaiAnnamalai UniverityUniverity (India)(India) DistanceDistance EducationEducation program.program. SheShe practicespractices yogayoga andand sharesshares a a passionpassion forfor nature,nature, people,people, andand photography.photography.
