'Femininity does not lie in outfits one wears' says transwoman who dresses as male

Transgender Muthumeenakshi uses the example of lord Ganesha who broke his tusks for Vyasa to write Mahabharata. She says an elephant’s magnificence lies in its tusks and Ganesha lost that magnificence so that the epic could be written. Similarly, she expresses femininity through dance as she realized its identity does not lie in clothes.

Thirunelveli: After living 12 years in exile, the Pandavas had to live incognito the following year. While his brothers chose to do their preferred jobs during the same, Arjuna became a transgender to live up to his goals for the Mahabharata war. Similar to Arjuna’s decision, a transgender from Balabagya Nagar in Thirunelveli has renounced her femininity. Although she had undergone a gender reassignment surgery to become a woman, she chooses to wear men’s attire.

“Like all transgenders, I began to feel the changes in my body at teenage and thought that my world is doomed. But, after accepting that this is my life, I decided not to express my femininity through my outfits. This is why I chose a name for myself which is common for both genders,” said Muthumeenakshi, while explaining the meaning of her name.

My identity does not lie in elegant outfits, transgender Muthumeenakshi

Muthumeenakashi, who underwent gender reassignment surgery as soon as she felt the sexual changes in her, attended the Koovagam Koothandavar fest in her male attire. There she was not accepted by fellow transgenders and was also ridiculed for it. This intensified her act of discarding women’s attire.

Muthumeenakshi, who realized that femininity does not lie in the outfits one wears, was embraced by Barathanaatiyam. Muthumeenakshi was well taught about this by Guru Smt. Rajeshwari Sundarraman.

Talking about her Gurus, Muthumeenakshi said, “Dance was the only source of comfort for all the confusions I had. I began to learn to dance at the age of 16. I was first taught to dance by Guru Smt. Rajeshwari Sungarraman. Later, Guru Smt. Selvamuthukumari was my Guru at the Government Music School in Tirunelveli. They are like my eyesight. Dance has been, and is, the comfort for all my mental struggles. I believe that dance is a gift for my femininity, elegance and artistic interest.”

“Many question me on why I do not dress up as a woman. I wish to live with society. Despite being well-dressed, transgenders are generally feared by people and are being avoided. I am not criticising my fellow transgender sisters who dress up as women. To be honest, it is difficult to lead such a life. But, I wanted to make my life meaningful. The beauty of my femininity should not be something that fades away but something progressive. While women wear men’s clothes and have a cropped haircut, why should I hide behind women’s clothing? My outfits have not been a barrier to me as well as the public. My identity lies in my dance and in my interest in teaching it to the children,” she added.

Muthumeenakshi runs a Bharathanaatiyam school called ‘Sriram Academy’ in Balabagya Nagar in Tirunelveli. More than 50 women and children learn Brathanatiyam from her every day. Apart from this, Muthumeenakshi also works as a Bharathanaatiyam teacher in private colleges and has taught the art to around 300 people so far.

Transgenders have to battle out a lot of struggles in life for recognition. Seeds of change should be sown to create a new path for them in the near future. Muthumeenakshi stands as an example for all to look for recognition and approval within ourselves instead of expecting it from others.