SOCIAL STIGMA ENGENDERS IDENTITY CRISIS OF TRANSGENDER: AN ANTHROPOLOGICAL ENQUIRY IN KANDHAMAL AND KHORDHA DISTRICTS OF ODISHA

Abstract

Most of the people are not aware that the Transgender evolve due to their biological i.e. genetical factors and hormonal changes in the body. Transgender is a social and biological minority or as a concept, denoting the identity crisis and diversity of practices embodied between or beyond the categories of male and female. Transgender people have a gender identity or gender expression that differs from their sex assigned at birth, which is laden by the social stigma at the expression in grown up stage. This resulting tension of identity crisis adversely affects their personal growth and development by arresting themselves when the society as a most oppressed class, denied most of the human rights enjoyed by other humans. Most of the people now in India never realize that Transgender are also part of our society so they should be treated as equal as others in the society. India’s trans-women or transgender community has a long history as long as our civilization. Indian law recognizes trans-women as third gender but still they are struggling for their identity and acceptance by the society. The objectives of the study is to investigate the problem faces by transgender community due to stringent stigma of the binary concept of gender in this globalised society on the grounds of education, political pressure, social acceptance, employment and various other issues in Odisha