While transgender rights in India seem to be improving with the establishment recognising them as a third gender, some incidents point towards a harsh reality that a lot needs to be done towards LGBT rights. Success stories of transgender individuals in various fields are a good sign, but the present incident raises questions over their protection from discrimination. Representational image | Source: Youth Ki Awaaz

The ordeal

A 19-year-old transgender named Shivy, who grew up in the US, had to undergo a long ordeal at the hands of his own parents, because of his gender preference and sexuality. The family which migrated to California when Shivy was three, found out about his relationship with a girl upon confiscating his phone.

The discovery marked a descent into darkness for Shivy who was studying neurobiology at a prominent institution in America. On condition of anonymity, a source told the Indian Express that the parents first tried to "fix" Shivy by physical violence and often beat him up.

Representational image | Source: Reuters

Trapped and forced to be silent

When nothing else worked, the parents tricked him into visiting India to see his ailing grandmother. Upon reaching India his passport and green card were snatched away and he was forcibly enrolled at the Dayalbagh Educational Institute in Agra. He was told that he must now live in India.

Shivy was also warned to keep his mouth shut regarding his gender preference, and his parents also planned to forcibly marry him off to a man of their choice to make him a "proper girl". His father, who Shivy says is an influential businessman with many contacts in UP, is using the "state machinery" for depriving him of his rights and liberties.