Sport should be accessible for all, irrespective of gender

Trans women or transgender women are those that are assigned male at birth. They have a female gender identity.

This paper had an in-depth report about a kabaddi tourney held at a public ground in Mankhurd (Trombay). The players were mainly from the community facing significant economic and social challenges. Trans women were also part of this tourney. Trans women or transgender women are those that are assigned male at birth. They have a female gender identity.

The women played kabaddi on the public ground. There were 30 teams and 270 players. The entire exercise was about kabaddi becoming more than a game. It was a vehicle of change. Most of these women hardly ever stepped out of the home. This tourney meant they had to access space to play. Many of them wore T-shirts and track pants, breaking out of traditional attire. They claimed public spaces—a playground usually dominated by children and men. They may have even defied families who would question them about leaving home, why they were doing so and why they wanted to play sport. Many of these women were community toilet operators. Many were slum women and trans women were part of the initiative. They were all agents of change, bucking social norms and breaking shackles through this tourney which had become a transformation platform.

Give our girls and women the gift of the outdoors. Let them claim public spaces just like men do. Let them find their inner athlete through sports/games at any age. Do not tie them down or question them about why they are leaving the home or why they feel the need to play a game/sport. Men are usually not asked these questions so why should women? Let them realise their dreams, experience agency and freedom. Give underserved community girls and women avenues, set them on a journey of joy, fulfilment and life’s adventures. The beginnings may seem humble, but they are hugely significant.

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