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Transphobic Me

When I see a person,
With stubble on her face,
Caked in make-up,
Wearing Kurti or Saree,
I whisper to myself,
“Be brave.”

I put my brave face on,
Clutch my bag,
And scurry past her,
As fast as I can,
I don’t even wait,
To spare a second glance.

And if she approaches me,
I’ll swallow my fear,
Be respectful and polite,
Even given her a smile,
And try to escape,
At the very first chance.

No, I wouldn’t be rude,
Or call her names,
One incident doesn’t define,
An entire gender type,
My fear is my problem,
I won’t make it hers.

Once I was robbed,
By a group of transwomen,
And it has deeply scarred my mind.
I’m petrified by their very sight,
But mistreating them all,
It can’t be justified.

Featured image by: Moose Photos from Pexels

Responses

  1. neeldip1998 Avatar

    Interesting, do visit my blogπŸ˜‡

    Liked by 1 person

  2. ashok Avatar

    Oh oh. I have always found them kind and needing compassion

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Shreya Joshi Avatar

      They can be awesome people. Afterall, they are humans too. But when people don’t give them jobs,they need food to survive and they are forced into streets, to beg, to rob, to engage in sex trade. It’s sad.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Shreya Joshi Avatar

        πŸ€—πŸ€—

        Liked by 1 person

  3. ben Alexander Avatar

    typo here? “Even giver her a smile,”

    BTW, not all trans people look the way you’ve described. I have a MTF acquaintance who looks totally female – no stubble, etc. The only thing that gives her away is that her voice is somewhat deeper than a biological woman’s voice would be.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Shreya Joshi Avatar

      Thank you so much for pointing it out. πŸ€—πŸ€—πŸ€—
      I know, not everyone looks that way. But that’s the imagery of people who attacked me, and when I see people like that it scares me.

      Liked by 2 people

  4. Anjali Khanal Avatar

    I find them warm and loving most of the times, but some of them are extremely rude nad scary to be around!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Shreya Joshi Avatar

      So true… Some are nice, some are not! πŸ’—πŸ’—πŸ’—

      Like

    2. ben Alexander Avatar

      that pretty much describes most of humanity, no?

      Liked by 2 people

  5. Brad Osborne Avatar

    Being the victim of physical violence can leave some hard to reconcile scars on the psyche. I am not surprised that there is residual fear. Although the gendered image of your trans attackers provokes that fear, it is their desperation that drove their actions, not their sexual identity. However, your experience may make it difficult to separate the two. Well written and honestly said!

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Shreya Joshi Avatar

      I know, Brad. The situation they are in, how people refuse giving them jobs forcing them to streets. It’s crazy that I was attacked on the same day I attended a seminar led by a trans woman. She was talking about all the problems she faced and how life on the street is rough. So, I stopped to give them some money. And that’s when they surrounded me.
      I’ve always steered clear of trans people ’cause I had seen many people around me get attacked. But that seminar made me wanna be nice to them, help them. That didn’t go well, though.
      I guess I’m not scared of all trans people, just the ones in the street. And I really hope things change and people actually start giving them jobs. It’s hunger that makes them act the way they do. πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Shweta Suresh Avatar

    All the ones that I have met have been kind and sweet. I’m glad that you don’t hold it against them though you have suffered at the hands of one of them. I’ve missed you, Shreya

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Shreya Joshi Avatar

      It’s not fair to hold grudge when I know why they acted the way they did. All I have to do is stay safe. πŸ™ˆ And thank you so much!! β™₯️β™₯️β™₯️ I missed you too. πŸ’•πŸ’•πŸ’•

      Like

  7. Brothers Campfire Avatar

    People are people. Working in a prison, I have seen all kinds. Go with your instincts with danger. You are a strong person for expressing yourself.🀠πŸ”₯

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Shreya Joshi Avatar

      Thank you so much, dear! You’re right, people are people. πŸ€—πŸ€—

      Like

  8. Vanya Rajwar Avatar

    Ah I can totally understand. At times they scare me too especially since the time I have seen them dancing and clapping so near my face as if they want to hit me on the nose or something (asking for money which you had to give at the end).
    Ah well but that’s just how it is. I am also not against them but somehow I am not comfortable with them.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Shreya Joshi Avatar

      So true… And worst part is that they don’t understand that sometimes we are in a tight situation too, and we might not always be mentally capable of handling their invasion of privacy. Once, I was in a train, a transwoman came and kissed my teacher and asked him for money.

      Like

  9. Devon Brock Avatar

    I am really enjoying your trek into the political. The things you have been writing about of late need to be shown. Keep up the good work.

    D

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Shreya Joshi Avatar

      Thank you so much! πŸ™ˆπŸ™ˆπŸ™ˆπŸ€—πŸ€—πŸ€—πŸ˜˜πŸ˜˜πŸ˜˜πŸ’–πŸ’–πŸ’– Means a lot to me. β™₯️β™₯️β™₯οΈπŸ’•πŸ’•πŸ’•

      Liked by 1 person

  10. Carol anne Avatar

    Oh no! I am so sorry you were robbed! A bad experience with one type of person can scar you for life! I think if I were you I’d feel the same way, Your brave to voice it Xxx

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Shreya Joshi Avatar

      Thank you so much, Carol. It means a lot to me. πŸ€—πŸ€—πŸ€—πŸ˜˜πŸ˜˜πŸ˜˜πŸ’–πŸ’–πŸ’–

      Like

  11. Untold Stories Avatar

    Oh, so well written!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Shreya Joshi Avatar

      Thank you so much, Rashmi!! πŸ’–πŸ’–πŸ’–πŸ’–

      Liked by 1 person

  12. Anagha. P. Avatar

    True… πŸ˜₯

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Shreya Joshi Avatar

      πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”

      Liked by 1 person

  13. Anagha. P. Avatar

    Beautifully written! As a kid even I used to get scared with the way they approached me. Not because they were transgenders but because they were complete strangers. I used to always think they would harm me. But growing up I understood why they did what they did and their circumstances. ❀

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Shreya Joshi Avatar

      Their circumstances force them to rob… So, ours force us to stay safe from them. If only people gave them jobs, they’d not be in roads. πŸ’”πŸ’”πŸ’”

      Liked by 1 person

  14. sripooja Avatar

    Wonderful human you are. Well narrated. people’s mind will change because of god humans like you. Good job sis

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Shreya Joshi Avatar

      Thank you so much!! Truly means a lot to me. πŸ’–πŸ’–πŸ’–πŸ’–

      Like

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