TRANSCENDENTAL INTIMACIES

This Transgender Visibility Day, creatives across mediums expand on the poetics and politics that define their experiences of love

- NIDA NAEEM

32/24, West Patel Nagar:

You cry while telling me that you don't wanna go through Hormone Replacement Therapy. You tell me that we can still have everything together.

As I selfishly wish that to be true, I also know that you are so much more than I am letting you be. The other day as I saw you strutting around in a corset and 4 inch heels, I could see a rare moment of you being yourself. I saw you happy. But what I didn't see was my boyfriend.

So babe, you don't have to do this for me. If you have to do anything for me, it's being you. And I promise.

I'll always be there for you. Boyfriend or not.

This piece of prose by Palash Gogoi, a non-binary performer and artist, gets to the very heart of how transformable - and transformative - love can be for gender-diverse individuals.

They continue, in another poem: The next time you want to talk about HRT I want to help you shortlist doctors. When you finally get your new ID I want to send you a happy birthday cake, with your name on it, your living name. When you get married to your perfect love, I wanna deliver the cringiest toast.

But I am sorry I can't be your perfect love. But what I can be is your radical love. Your inquilab-e-ishq.

Anya presents as feminine now, and is on HRT medication. Palash, who is only attracted to men/masc people, ceased to be her boyfriend, but they continue to be best friends to this day. The nature of their relationship underwent a significant change; and because of, not in spite of, this their bond only grew deeper.

BEYOND THE BINARY