I’m still stuck trying to explain to my parents the difference between a gay man and a trans woman and they just kind of refuse to understand. I’m very lucky to have at least baseline accepting parents but I can’t imagine how it is for people whose parents refuse, or actively prevent you from trying to transition.

I’ve heard so many stories of people who tried to run away multiple times form their homes, people who were raped when they were 10 years old, threats and violence and disownment.

The entire country expects you to become a begging prostitute to raped and beaten on the street because you don’t deserve to live and whine about a possible 1% employment reservation quota. There is no concept of someone wanting to be an actual man or woman.

I still had to DIY from inside the closet by stealing money. That’s the only thing we have. A pharmaceutical industry that’s unregulated enough to let you buy cheap shit from stores and order hormones online. I’m glad India is able to ship to so many other countries and help people around the world. That’s the only piece of good we’re doing and it’s just because of apathy.

I wish I could know more about how trans people in the rest of south asia are faring. Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, I don’t hear from them as much and I wish more of them could be visible.