Trans activist Alok Vaid-Menon says, 'We are just looked at, not listened to'

Alok VaidMenonInternational trans writer and entertainer Alok VaidMenons solo performance Watching YouWatching Me doesnt mince any words It plans to ask a pertinent question without any hesitation Do transgender people matter for more than just entertainment In collaboration with Australian artiste ELSZ VaidMenon will question the abusive relationship we have with the Internet and just how much validation we get from how people like us Excerpts from an interviewHow did you decide on the theme for the solo performance Was it something you had been thinking of for a while or did an incident spark itIts something that Ive been thinking about for a while now Often when I walk outside people take photos or videos of me with their phones I always wonder where they are uploading those videos what makes them feel like they have the right to treat transgender people like a spectacle and what do they see when they see me As someone who is stared at a lot I think a lot about watching mdash and how often being stared at can feel like a form of physical violenceDo transpeople matter beyond our entertainment value mdash With your insight how would you answer this questionNo I think nontranspeople still only like looking at us and not listening to us I think we have a long way to go for trans rights in India and across the world until trans people can be respected and treated like human beingsHow do you use the digital space and where do you see yourself in the scheme of things in the same spaceI think a lot about digital worlds As an artist I first started sharing my work on social media Eventually my social media followers started translating into real people coming to my performances This show exists at the place where the Internet and the real world meet For me sometimes the digital world has felt more real than this one and this one has felt more virtual than it This show is about collapsing all of those walls and understanding how technology and specifically the Internet has warped our relationship with ourselves and with each otherWhat is your opinion of trans rights in India and how do you think anyone can make a differenceWhile I have been pleased with recent awareness and legal recognition of trans people in India I still feel we have a long way to go It doesnt matter what policies are changed if peoples attitudes havent I still think in India people really look down on trans people and do not treat us with the dignity and respect that we deserve I ask everyone at every level in their lives to try to interrupt and stop transphobia wherever they see it this can be as simple as not asking if someone is having a boy or a girl if they are pregnant and as huge as intervening when you see a trans person being harassed on the streetWhat would you want audiences to take away from this showAs a performance artist I think it compromises the work to have explicit takeaways that I want my audiences to have Its not that I want them to leave with particular ideas its more that I want them to experience feelings pain hurt loss jealousy desire recognition I like my performances where people can take off all of the masks they have to put on in society and experience one another honestly Ive done this new show in Delhi last month and people seemed to be really moved by it