Relevance: Sociology: Gender inequalities
Context
Transgenders can soon aspire to lead combat troops in central paramilitary forces as the government is mulling allowing them take the annual UPSC exam for recruitment as officers in these forces deployed across the country for various internal security duties.
In a first-of-its-kind move, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had recently asked for “comments” on the issue from the five paramilitary or Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) so that the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) can be intimated whether or not to include the “transgender” category in the soon-to-be published notification for this year’s CAPFs’ Assistant Commandants (ACs) exams.
The AC is the entry-level officer rank in the five CAPFs — Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).
BSF, ITBP, SSB and CRPF have sent their comments to the ministry, stating that they are ready to take transgenders as officers as they follow the principle of “gender neutrality”.
These forces have also asked their training establishments to obtain their own copies of a recently-enacted legislation for transgenders and the related DoPT guidelines for a better understanding of the new law, the officials said.
The CISF has said it requires more time to submit its response to the home ministry as it wants to “discuss the issue in detail” within the organisation, especially with its field commanders.
The 1.62 lakh personnel-strong force has over 350 armed security units across the country.
The CISF wants to “apply its mind” over the proposal, officials privy to the development told PTI.
The main charter of the force entails large public interaction by way of body frisking and pat-down search of an individual (in certain cases) at its duty locations such as airports, Delhi Metro, government and private establishments and installations in the nuclear, aerospace and power domains, among others.
The CISF controls the entry and exit of people and goods at facilities where its armed personnel are deployed as part of its charter to provide counter-terror and anti-sabotage cover.
Seeking more time for discussion, however, does not mean that the CISF is against the move. The force is committed to providing equal opportunities to everyone, irrespective of their gender.
The time was sought to provide a comprehensive reply to the ministry.
A senior home ministry official said if they find that the CISF has strong and valid reservations against the move, an arrangement can be made in the UPSC exams, where transgenders can apply for officers’ posts in all the CAPFs except the CISF.
There is a precedent of such arrangement as for many years, female candidates were not able to opt for the BSF and ITBP in the UPSC exams for recruiting CAPF officers. The BSF and the ITBP got combat women officers much later.
While border-guarding forces like the BSF, ITBP and SSB have informed the MHA that they are “ready to receive” transgender officers, the CRPF has said it will make their induction “compatible.
“We fully value the spirit of the order of the honourable Supreme Court on this subject. The CRPF already has a gender neutral work environment.
“In view of impending policy guidelines of MHA, we shall make it further compatible as per the need,” the 3.25 lakh personnel-strong force has said.
“A senior CAPF commander had earlier said the forces have discussed the “challenges and opportunities” that can come with transgenders as officers.
“What we have found after a preliminary analysis is that this is a watershed moment for the CAPFs like a few years ago, when women were recruited for the first time in constabulary and officer ranks.
Transgenders will add to the rich profile of these forces. Also, if uniformed forces do not lead by example, how can we expect other sections of the society to shed old inhibitions.
It was analysed that there can be issues of acceptance among the troops in the initial phases, but like the women gelled well as colleagues and commanders in these forces, it might be the same with transgenders, the CAPF commander.
“If a person of any gender has what we call officer-like qualities (OLQ), then he can join the CAPFs on that merit alone.
“Also, all candidates are required to clear specific medical, mental and physical benchmarks for being recruited as officers to lead combat troops,” he had said.
The Centre had notified the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act in December last year and the home ministry feels that it is essential to give a “level-playing field” to transgenders in all avenues and services, including combat policing.
The legislation provides that no establishment shall discriminate against transgender persons in matters of employment, recruitment, promotion and other related issues.
The personnel ministry, early this year, had also asked all ministries and departments to modify the relevant examination rules to include “transgender” as a separate category of gender for central government jobs.
Sociological Perspective
Gender Roles
As we grow, we learn how to behave from those around us. In this socialization process, children are introduced to certain roles that are typically linked to their biological sex. The term gender role refers to society’s concept of how men and women are expected to look and how they should behave. These roles are based on norms, or standards, created by society. In U.S. culture, masculine roles are usually associated with strength, aggression, and dominance, while feminine roles are usually associated with passivity, nurturing, and subordination. Role learning starts with socialization at birth. Even today, our society is quick to outfit male infants in blue and girls in pink, even applying these color-coded gender labels while a baby is in the womb.
Individuals who identify with the role that is the different from their biological sex are called transgender. Transgender is not the same as homosexual, and many homosexual males view both their sex and gender as male.
Transgender males are males who have such a strong emotional and psychological connection to the feminine aspects of society that they identify their gender as female. The parallel connection to masculinity exists for transgender females. It is difficult to determine the prevalence of transgenderism in society. However, it is estimated that two to five percent of the U.S. population is transgender (Transgender Law and Policy Institute 2007).
Transgender individuals who attempt to alter their bodies through medical interventions such as surgery and hormonal therapy—so that their physical being is better aligned with gender identity—are called transsexuals.
They may also be known as male-to-female (MTF) or female-to-male (FTM). Not all transgender individuals choose to alter their bodies: many will maintain their original anatomy but may present themselves to society as another gender. This is typically done by adopting the dress, hairstyle, mannerisms, or other characteristic typically assigned to another gender.
It is important to note that people who cross-dress, or wear clothing that is traditionally assigned to a gender different from their biological sex, are not necessarily transgender. Cross-dressing is typically a form of self-expression, entertainment, or personal style, and it is not necessarily an expression against one’s assigned gender (APA 2008).
There is no single, conclusive explanation for why people are transgender. Transgender expressions and experiences are so diverse that it is difficult to identify their origin. Some hypotheses suggest biological factors such as genetics or prenatal hormone levels as well as social and cultural factors such as childhood and adulthood experiences. Most experts believe that all of these factors contribute to a person’s gender identity (APA 2008).
After years of controversy over the treatment of sex and gender in the American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (Drescher 2010), the most recent edition, DSM-5, responds to allegations that the term “Gender Identity Disorder” is stigmatizing by replacing it with “Gender Dysphoria.” Gender Identity Disorder as a diagnostic category stigmatized the patient by implying there was something “disordered” about them. Gender Dysphoria, on the other hand, removes some of that stigma by taking the word “disorder” out while maintaining a category that will protect patient access to care, including hormone therapy and gender reassignment surgery. In the DSM-5, Gender Dysphoria is a condition of people whose gender at birth is contrary to the one they identify with. For a person to be diagnosed with Gender Dysphoria, there must be a marked difference between the individual’s expressed/experienced gender and the gender others would assign him or her, and it must continue for at least six months. In children, the desire to be of the other gender must be present and verbalized. This diagnosis is now a separate category from sexual dysfunction and paraphilia, another important part of removing stigma from the diagnosis (APA 2013).
Changing the clinical description may contribute to a larger acceptance of transgender people in society. Studies show that people who identify as transgender are twice as likely to experience assault or discrimination as nontransgender individuals; they are also one and a half times more likely to experience intimidation (National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs 2010; Giovanniello 2013).
Organizations such as the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs and Global Action for Trans Equality work to prevent, respond to, and end all types of violence against transgender, transsexual, and homosexual individuals. These organizations hope that by educating the public about gender identity and empowering transgender and transsexual individuals, this violence will end.
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