Pee Safe has recently reached out to many such individuals in order to get deeper insight into their lives and experiences as part of the LGBTQ+ community. Our second feature is on Archie Singh, a transgender woman (she/her). This is her story.
My name is Archie Singh, and I’m a 21-year-old trans woman from Delhi. That means I was born with a male body, but my soul has always been that of a woman. Growing up, I would often drape myself in my mother’s clothes.
Outside the safe confines of my mother’s bedroom, people would harass me, taunt me, telling me I acted like a woman. Up until then I had been confused regarding my gender identity and sexuality, and even considered the possibility that I was gay.
However, Google gave me the answers I sought; I learnt more about the LGBTQ+ community and found a label for what I’d been feeling my whole life: transgender. I knew I had to tell my family, but when I did, they were completely unsupportive.
Their intolerance was furthered by the fact that I was their only ‘son’.
That was when I left home, in 10th grade, and in that time, I underwent the physical transition to the body I have now. Despite finally getting what I had desired for so long, I was alone, physically and emotionally.
My family only began to accept me 2 years after I left, and soon after, my modelling career took off. I participated in Miss Trans India 2018, securing a place in the top 10 nationwide! I also took up a social work project, Project Sahitya; we distributed contraceptives to transgender sex workers and food and clothes to the needy.
Unfortunately, in spite of my relatively successful transition, acceptance from my family, and having since done many shoots for large brands, people continued to make segregations between me and other women for modelling projects.
I won RPS entertainment’s Miss Trans India contest in 2019 and was signed on to be their brand ambassador. I am very happy with all the opportunities this has opened up for me and am working towards changing the Indian mentality towards transgender models.
Also Read : A WORLD BEYOND GENDER 🌈
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✍️ This article was curated by Devyani Sarin
