"Are you man enough?" Someone sneers,
"You walk like a woman" they say.
"Are you really a woman?
You talk like a man." They say.
They stare, laugh and bully,
I turn to their ignorance as I answer -
"I am Brihannala. Cross dressing in disguise."
"I am Shikhandi who battles his enemies."
"I am Yuvanashva. The pregnant king."
"I am Ayyappa, Son of Vishnu and Shiva."
"I am Bhagiratha, born of two queens."
"I am Aravan."
"I am Mitra."
"I am. I am. I am."
Respected and accepted
In a society
That once was.
I wonder as I put on the rouge,
Dance my heart out in the pride walk,
Never feeling more seen,
More liberated, more validated;
Do they really care?
People stare, people judge, people are mean.
But never before did they ask us,
Prove who you are, biologically.
What about my feelings? The way I identify?
What about my choices of sexuality and vibe?
A test to confirm who I am?
I have been shouting from the roof since ages
And everyone was deaf and dumb.
"I am. I am. I am."
The voices of many like us get lost,
In a crisis of identity
In the noise of legality,
Amidst truth, right and morality.
~ Suranya
