Amongst the roaring battle between Mars and Venus, we often tend to forget those who are still pinned to the ground without basic human rights. We are talking about the neglected LGBTQ community, with special reference to the third gender. Their fight for rights and respect has been a constant and long drawn struggle.
The world is fortunately opening up their minds and hearts now to accept their differences as natural, which is the only way we must look at this scenario. All over the world, transgenders have been achieving respect, recognition, and winning their battles. In India too, we have made a fair amount of progress. In 2014, the Supreme Court finally declared that transgenders be officially recognized as a third gender. Since then, things have been looking up for them. Employment avenues have opened up and certain liberties are being provided to them to bring them to an equal platform in society. Recently, Joyita Mondal took over the nation by storm when she was appointed as a judge in a Lok Adalat (civil court) in Islampur (North Dinajpur district) in north Bengal.
Hailed as India’s first transgender judge, Joyita has made her name into India’s history. Her feat is by no means small, nor was her journey any easy. Fighting prejudice in India all by herself, her fight for acknowledgement continues even today. She says-
“When I sit on the judge’s chair in a courtroom, many people still gasp at the fact that a transgender judge is in charge of the case… it will take time, but people are finally accepting me as per my designation and not my gender.”
Mondal learnt at a very young age that she would have to be her own pillar. Her family did not give her any support and she was banished from her own home. In 2009, she was rendered homeless and helpless. Even the town’s hotels refused to let her be their guest simply because she belonged to the third gender. The Hijra community in North Dinajpur accepted her, and she had no option but to beg on the streets for survival. This was not the life she was ready to settle for though. She knew she wanted a better life for herself as well as for others like her! Her vision extended beyond her own ordeal, and that is commendable.
What Joyita astutely observed, was a problem larger than day to day survival. She understood the fact that she did not deserve to be treated like a societal- reject, and that there were rights that she deserved. She saw that the members of her community in Dinajpur had no idea what their rights were, and lacked awareness on aspects related to their own gender. Joyita was determined to break the wheel.
In 2010, she started her own non- governmental organization (NGO) called Dinajpur Notun Alo Society, which aimed to work intently for the transgender community and their awareness in North Dinajpur district. Things started picking speed from here, and her workforce became stronger with each passing day. As she went about her social work, she gained the acquaintance of Islampur’s Deputy Collector and District Magistrate, Thanduk Sherpa. Through this connection, she gained the contact of a former additional district judge by the name of Subrata Poley. Poley went on to recommend her name to be considered for a position in Islampur’s Lok Adalat.
This set a revolutionary process in motion. A bright opportunity awaited Joyita, who had seen her fair share of struggle and pain. This was a chance for her to gain power through which she could bring about positive change in the lives of so many people of her community.
A Lok Adalat, as Mondal explained, consists of a three member judicial panel- a senior judge, a lawyer/attorney, and a social worker. Mondal was approved for the position of the social member in this panel. She says-
“I have been given the position of a social worker, and it is exactly how they treat me. I am not there as a transgender… I am there as an impartial judge.”
Mondal’s achievement is a reason for her community to celebrate. Individual victories like hers are creating a mass impact on ideologies around the world. The aim is to make the world see all genders as individual, capable resources and nothing else. As the founder of Trans Welfare Equity and Empowerment Trust, Abheena Aher, rightly claims-
“This is the first time that a person from the community has got this opportunity. It is not just about empowerment. This is about getting into the system and getting the authority to make a difference.”
Mondal’s story provides heartening hope to others like her, who hope to gain recognition in a prejudiced society. Mondal herself claimed that the best part about her achievement is not the money or the fame, but the respect she gained for who she essentially is. The battle doesn’t end here- there’s a lot more for this community to achieve. Trans rights are still a topic of debate and India has a long way to go before the situation gets anywhere close to ideal. The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill is pending in the Parliament since 2016. The Bill seeks to ensure a better social status for the third gender across various sectors. We hope this works out well at the earliest for the community. Until then, we can seek inspiration and courage from people like Mondal, who are here to make the world a better place.
