Today we're going to do something a little different. Vasi, our guest this week, is an artist and activist who played an important role in the queering of the Aragalaya that we discussed last week. As a non-binary trans woman, she has experienced an aspect of the economic crisis that is often overlooked. In Sri Lanka, trans people's health care was an easy cut when it came to prioritizing which medicines to produce and import.
Her performance video "Hormone Replacement Crisis" recounts her experience with this situation and relates it to the government's failure to provide for its people. The medical sector was completely depleted and understaffed, and no medications were brought into the country. Trans clients had to be placed on longer and longer waiting lists for care in government hospitals, and this is still the case for many who are trying to get medication through the government health system.
We are living through some difficult times and those who are trying to live their lives in the way that makes them whole are being denied the care they deserve.
Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is of immense importance to trans* and gender non-confirming people as it plays a pivotal role in their gender affirmation journey. For many, HRT is a fundamental and life-saving tool for alleviating dysphoria and nurturing a sense of self-authenticity.
And as we worry about the precarious position of our trans* siblings in the US and other places where the far right is scapegoating our genderqueer revolution to sell their populist rhetoric, we must also remember that in the developing world, HRT is a privilege that is far from universally accessible.
In many South and Southeast Asian countries, trans* people face significant barriers to accessing HRT. Limited availability of medical professionals with expertise in transgender health care, lack of legal frameworks to protect transgender rights, and social stigma all contribute to challenges in accessing HRT.
So, given how fundamental HRT is to the well-being of an important segment of the population, we ask:
Why are trans people always the first to be discarded? What makes it so complicated to accept that HRT is essential? Why must trans* and GNC bodies be pathologized, scrutinized, and evaluated before they are "allowed" to survive?
In an adaptation of Vasi's performance, animated by Keshiya Rayla Kaavyashri, the art video "What Kinda Trans Am I?" questions these very issues and forces us to reflect on the trauma of having your life constantly questioned and forced to provide an answer when you sometimes don't have one.
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