Understanding the Third Sex and Issues Related with Transgender

Transgender are not uncommon in our societies throughout the world. However, often they fail to attain a respectable and much deserved comfortable life in the world of the two predominant sexes of the society. Transgender people are present in every country including US, Russia, Mexico, Britain, India, China etc.

Yet, societies often discard them as unwanted. In some countries, transgender are allowed to be a part of the society, however, they find it difficult to mix up within the society freely and often they suffer humiliation, discrimination and poverty.

The major issue that a transgender faces is the difficulty in expressing their gender and the related issues. However, in some countries, like India, transgender are provided a special societal position, they often live in groups and there are some successful transgender in professional and political mainstreams of India. Yet, except a few successful transgender, the majority of people belonging to this third sex suffer discrimination, humiliation and hatred.

How to Deal with a Transgender?

A man or woman may find it difficult and confusing to mingle with a transgender. The basic problem that you will face is the uncertainty about how to act in the presence of a transgender without doing anything that may hurt their feeling or emotions or may cause them to feel humiliated. In general, people do not want to hurt them, yet, our general confusion, awkwardness and uncertainty becomes a reason for their humiliation.

The Issue of the Gender of a Transgender

Officially, only male and female are considered as the two present sexes. Hence, a transgender find it difficult to try to seek proper education, job or official help. This is because most of the official papers demand gender identity while transgender is not an officially recognized gender while the only two gender identities mentioned in official papers are male or female. In such a situation, a transgender find if forced on them to lie about their gender identity and to present themselves either as a male or a female.

It would be better if government organizations and in fact private corporate firms also try to solve out this issue by either providing valid identification for the third gender as transgender, or by making it optional to declare the sex identity of a person.

This issue is pretty similar to the issue of allowing free choice of either to mention someone’s sexual behaviour or not to mention it. Just like a bisexual or homosexual person finds it difficult to announce his or her personal sexual orientation, a transgender also may find it humiliating to announce about their gender.

If you come in contact with a transgender, you should try not to show your confusion about how to react in such a situation. Use appropriate language while conversing with a transgender and try not to make an issue of “by what gender should they be recognized?”

Transgender people are cool and friendly and often they love to converse with males and females without any hesitation while trying to answer all possible queries or curiosities a person may feel about them. However, while asking questions and trying to know more about them, you need to be respectful and patient while giving them enough space and proper time to answer your queries appropriately.

Just like a male or female, transgender are human beings and they deserves every individual right along with proper respect and humanly love.