Kesh, Adweta, Jain, Animesh, GS, Karthikeya, Deshmukh, Mrunal and Palkar, Tanvi (2022) Transcending Dualities of Gender: Mapping factors influencing the life of a trans person in India. In: Proceedings of Relating Systems Thinking and Design, RSD11, 3-16 Oct 2022, Brighton, United Kingdom.

Preview	Text Kesh_Transcending_Paper_2022.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (229kB) | Preview
Preview	Image Kesh_Transcending_Gigamap_2022.png - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (15MB) | Preview

Abstract

The transgender community is one of the oldest communities in India, and includes hijras, eunuchs, kothis, and aravanis. All members face severe discrimination and harassment in all respects in contemporary India, having been subjected to unfair treatments such as verbal abuse, physical and sexual violence, and victimisation in multiple settings (family, educational institutions, workplace, health care settings, and public spaces). The project aimed to understand and represent the challenges faced by the trans community in India and explore possibilities of design intervention in the system. According to UN Sustainable Development Goals 5–Gender Equality, many developing and developed countries have raised concerns about gender-related inequalities at various levels, validating the relevance of the project.

As an outcome of the project, the gigamap serves as a concise and comprehensive visual document on trans-individuals in India and is also aimed as an education tool for parents, teachers, educational institutions, policymakers, designers, changemakers, and the general public. The gigamap addresses the fundamental question of who a trans individual is, covering the basics of sex, gender and gender identities. It further delves into the history of trans-individuals in India, highlighting two important bills passed by the government and examining the ground reality.

The core of the gigamap revolves around the life journeys of trans-individuals, mapping their emotional states. It encapsulates our findings around gender dysphoria, coming out, and transitioning, ensuring readers gain in-depth knowledge on the pivotal points of their lives. It directly connects to the synthesised causal map, emphasising the key factors influencing the life of a trans person in India. This section also incorporates illustration bubbles as empathy builders, narrating everyday emotions shared by the community.

The last section gives a system overview in the form of loops and a stakeholder map, highlighting groups of individuals with high impact and influence. It concludes with nine areas for intervention and encourages the viewer to make a difference in their own spheres of influence. Throughout the ten-week project, systemic design mapping helped us navigate the complexities faced while dealing with such sensitive topics. Gigamapping as a tool and a deliverable also helped us as designers to consider products and services.

Item Type:	Conference/Workshop Item (Paper)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	systemic thinking, trans lives, gigamap, trans well-being, gender, system mapping, trans representation, SDG
Divisions:	Faculty of Design
Date Deposited:	30 Apr 2024 14:11
Last Modified:	30 Apr 2024 14:11
URI:	https://openresearch.ocadu.ca/id/eprint/4336

Actions (login required)

Edit View