Used to play Ghar Ghar, Later my Mom Started Scolding Me : Meet Transwoman Urooz Hussain

The trans community and their perspective, struggles and opinion throws massive light on the surging waves of intolerance in the country. The inherent disgust and non-acceptance of people's choices, sexuality and the way they wish to live their life is not a new phenomenon in this country. Every day Incredible India rejects, punishes and tries to crumble those who do not fit into the closet of heteronormativity. Such is our default programming that members of our society outrightly reject what does not deem fit. Meet Urooz Hussain who fought against it all. 

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1.Did you come out of the closet when you lived with your family?

"No, it was difficult for me to do so. Meri family mei ye acceptable nahi hota.It wasn’t possible for me back then when I lived with them. Though, I still liked dressing up despite the odds.I met Dr. Kaushik and came out of the closet in 2014."

2.When did you face harassment for your choices?

"I started facing harassment back in 2013 when I lived with two men. They started bullying me and touching me inappropriately. I had to live in a religious place for a sometime because of this. I earned only 500 rupees a month and therefore I had to go without eating a proper meal sometimes. I ate a samosa or a roti for a meal sometimes. At the hotel, because of my feminine traits, I was massively bullied by the hotel staff and the manager. Iss wajah se kaafi suicidal thoughts bhi aate they mujhe. Uss time mujhe transition ke baare mei nahi pata tha."

3.What did financial independence mean to you?

"It meant a lot. I worked very hard at my internship for 52 weeks where I was paid a measly amount of 500 rupees. It was very hard to survive on. After doing my internship, I started looking for a job so I could be independent and stand on my own feet."

4.How did your teenage years look like ?

"I liked playing ghar-ghar. I also liked wearing my sister’s dupatta. Till 7th, nobody said anything to me. My mother did not say anything when I was young. But when I was in grade 10th, she started scolding me a lot. It is true. I felt I was different from all the other kids in my school. I was a topper till tenth. My grades dropped due to these problems slightly."

5.How do you think the portrayal of the trans community in Bollywood affects people’s perception?

"Bollywood ek aisa platform hai, ki agar woh hume accept karlenge, toh poori duniya karlegi. We are often treated as laughing stock or for playing roles people are scared of. Hum sabko ek doosre ki kadar karni chahiye. We need to be compassionate to all."

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