Most individuals who are part of the lgbtq hide their identity from their family and friends because of the potential harassment they can face from the society just because of their sexual orientation their own home isn’t a safe space for them.

Firstly we need to address them as a normal person just like any of us  and not call a homosexual person “the gay guy” cause no one refers a heterosexual person as the straight guy because that is considered the norm and being gay isn’t. Hence normalising them can stop from making them feel different.

2. The violence and harassment they face for being who they are, They are cornered, put into uncomfortable situations and even as far as that molested.

3. The socio-economic disparity. There is a difference in income. Transgender people have faced harassment, and mistreatment in workplace environment. There have been instances of them getting fired or employers refused to hiring them because of their identity.

4.  Lot of LGBTQ youth are homeless and because of the lack of acceptance from their parents and the society. Lot of these youth have no choice but run away because of the harassment they face at home even from family members, some are forced to leave their houses after coming out. Such youth are at high risk of drug use and mental health issues.  There need to be more shelters or safe places where they can stay.

The LGBT community is struggling for their equal rights and acceptance. A huge number of these individuals deal with poverty, lack of education, unemployment and little or no health care. I do agree slowly a lot of laws related to the benefit of LGBTQ are changing even in India and other countries but we are still far away from making them feel normal and for them to have their own rights just like a heterosexual person.

To break the cookie-cutter gender stereotypes created by our patriarchal society first and foremost everyone needs to change their mindset and get rid of the rigid traditional views that have been going on for years. Women can never be viewed as an equal to men unless we start to openly discuss the prejudices we face and how harmful these stereotypes can be. Stereotypes such as women should be ladylike and soft while men should be emotion less and macho might sound overly simple but are actually considered normal in most cultures.

1. We need to get rid of the idea that women are the weaker sex and are emotionally sensitive and dramatic. This confines women to a certain box and takes away opportunities from them. I think same goes for men, since we have been told that real men don’t cry. Such stereotypes can be harmful towards their mental health.

2. A working woman can also be a great parent. Men in high positions like a CEO are never questioned if they are a responsible parent or not but woman juggling both house work and job and constantly shamed and judged if they make even one mistake.

3. Woman are much much more than their physical attributes, face and body. Men with battle scars are celebrated while women  have to hide surgery scars cause it’s deemed “ugly” The extreme difference in treatment of men and women’s body is something we need to overcome.

4. The power imbalance in marriage specifically in out country needs to be talked about. It’s not a woman’s job to take care of the household and do the chores and a man’s job to take all the important decisions while the wife only gets to have opinions on which crockery set to buy. If both the husband and the wife works they should be able to rotate schedules to do their chores so it’s fair for both.

5. More films or books in india needs to have a strong female charecter. Diversity needs to be added and not just the man saving the day. Because media is consumed so widely a lot of progress can be achieved if the harmful stereotypes are broken. History books in schools need to celebrate not only the male freedom fighters but how both the genders have helped and talk about the women’s contribution to important historic events.

6. A woman who shows defiance or acts dominant (read behaves more like a man than how a woman should be) are berated and face backlash because woman as usual are expected to be sensitive and submissive.

These are just some of the few points i can think of right now but there are so much more that can be said on this topic. Women in male dominated environments need to stand and speak up for themselves when facing any sort of discrimination. Most woman are so used to the misogyny they face that they can’t even comprehend that they are unequally so we must raise more awareness.