Food for thought — Let’s redefine funny for PRIDE. Shall we?

Movies are magical. They become a ‘‘दर्पण “ (mirror) of ourselves in many ways. Some of them let us sink into their world whilst other change us in our ways of thinking, emotional intelligence, and even our very nature of seeing the world.

On the other hand, for some, it can be gruesome who gaze upon the screen only to realize that their identity is being mocked and laughed upon. Suddenly the magic from the movie can go away in an unflattering manner. Unfortunately, the LGBTQ+ community knows that feeling too well.

The other night from Netflix’s plethora of collections, I stumbled upon a movie called ‘Disclosure’.

The movie shows how cinema has become a cruel mirror for the Trans community. It shows how movies played such a crucial role in retracing the ways that gender-nonconforming characters have been depicted on-screen.

Transgender people have a gender identity or gender expression that differs from the sex that they were assigned at birth.

“The ways in which Trans people have been represented on-screen have suggested that we’re not real, have suggested that we’re mentally ill, that we don’t exist,” explains actor and advocate Laverne Cox in the movie.

Disclosure made me think if the concept of trans identity somehow frustrates or confuses anyone, it’s likely that they haven’t considered just how significantly television and movies may be to blame (some examples above). Trans-themed comedy movies have naively been enjoyed in the past and present. Shows like The Kapil Sharma Show where a group of men dressing up as women and joking around is thoroughly enjoyed by a wide community with no consideration of the trans community. We have been wired to enjoy such kinds of acts as it has been unconsciously inculcated into our heads telling us that is COMEDY.

We are entitled to our own rights, freedom, and choice to express ourselves but by subjecting such reel as comedy, we make an unconscious decision and portray the pride community as not being “socially appropriate”.

It is about time that we realise this and start caring about Pride community and not take part in such comedic portrayals for their identities. There’s no denying that trans lives are at disproportionately high risk, or that of greater sensitivity BUT we the people, us the society and हम the peers and our thoughts can shift the public opinion in a positive way.