The cover of ‘Maraikkapatta Pakkangal’, a book on the LGBTQIA community in Tamil that has been added to the ne... Read More

CHENNAI: Men, women and transsexual people are not the only genders in society - there are at least 58 genders with a distinct identity according to the new 'gender queer and intersex' studies syllabus introduced at the American College, Madurai.

The college has introduced the subject in the Tamil and English literature syllabus and its prescribed textbook on the subject is now touted as a first for such a course. 'Gender queer' is an umbrella term for people who fall outside the heteronormative genders. The various genders mentioned in the book include pangender , androgyny, bigender, neutroi, retransitioners and transbinary.

"We want students to understand sex, gender and sexuality well, as we are all going to live together in the same society," says the head of the Tamil literature department V Prabhakaran.

"In 2008, we were among the first to introduce studies on transgender people. Several novels and books written by activists were part of the gender studies curriculum. Similarly, when we came across a book on the gender queer and entire LGBTQIA community in Tamil, we decided to add it to the syllabus so that people understand them better," he said.

Gopi Shankar Madurai, the author of the book 'Maraikkapatta Pakkangal', said he was glad Tamil Nadu was opening up for discussions on gender on its campuses. "It took me four years just to get this book published, as nobody was interested in the subject. Now, not only has the book been published but it is part of the curriculum in a college. This is a huge leap, as we need to start a dialogue on these subjects, especially in Tamil. This same book is part of the Harvard International Gay and Lesbian Review and is used by the sociology department of Virginia University as part of their summer course. But for the first time, it is part of a curriculum in India," he said.

The book is a collection of various speeches, thoughts and discourses on genders, sexual orientation and their relation to religion, economy, culture, language, said V Murugan, a PhD student of the college.

"This is a very important issue. We often discuss genders but our talk is based on assumptions. This book speaks about the science behind it. It speaks about what these people think, what their needs are and what they want. We all have to live together in the same society. So, unless we understand them, it will be difficult for us to evolve. All colleges and universities should introduce this so that there are more discussions on the subject," said Murugan.

