SOCIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT OF DISCRIMINATION ON TRANSGENDER INDIVIDUALS IN INDIA - A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS

Abstract

Although the Indian Constitution guarantees basic rights and protections & judiciary has also recognized some rights, the discrimination faced by the transgender populations of India remains overwhelmingly severe in the social, political, and economic domains. The current paper examines the discrimination faced by the transgender populations of India from a socio-psychological perspective. The author attempts to situate the reality of their lives within the sociological literature on stigma, social exclusion, intersectionality, and structural violence, and within the psychological constructs on the stress of being a minority, psychological trauma, and psychological resilience. The paper examines the systemic discrimination faced by the transgender populations in education, employment, healthcare and civic engagement within the public sphere, & systemic violence and discrimination from the family, community and society, & stigma in public. The paper examines the discriminative socio-legal frameworks & transformative socio-legal frameworks like the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019. The paper reveals the discrimination faced by the transgender populations of India & community mechanisms to cope with it. The paper analyses the socio-psychological marginalization & consequent impacts of marginalization such as anxiety, depression, suicidality, and impaired self-esteem. The paper identifies the need to reform policies and provide community support to strengthen the dignity, social equity, and psychological well-being of transgender populations in India.