First Transgender Judge Of India- Joyita Mondal (Unsung Heroes Part-8)

“I’m a Boy that was born as a Girl,

and has to prove myself every day

that I am man enough for the world”

Joyita Mondal

The above quote isn’t just a word together, it has a lot of pain behind it, an inspiration, and a message for all of us.

In a country where there is a lot of social injustice exists, people are assessed by their appearances. Among us, there is one group that is worst treated and the most ignorant in all. The discrimination against them is still in abundance. But one person from that community known as the ‘third gender’ took a stand and become an inspiration.

In this part of our Unsung Heroes series, I’m going to talk about a fearless, enthusiastic, optimistic human being named ‘Joyita Mondal‘. Born in a Hindu family, in Kolkata West Bengal.  Joyita was named ‘Joyonto’ (a male) initially. However, after a while when she got to know about her identity as a transgender, she hide it from our society but eventually came out against all the odds.

According to the 2011 census, there are around 5 million transgenders in India, most of them are victimized by society. People judged them as sex workers and only call them in the auspicious events to congratulate and give blessings.

But no one ever wants to know their tragic stories and what they are going through with all the nuisance and hatred.

Whereas, Joyita Mondal chooses her own way to be a symbol of inspiration. Let us unfold her story from school dropout to India’s First Transgender Judge.

Joyita Mondal’s Early Life And Discrimination

Joyita Mondal’s life is no less than a miserable life, with lots of discrimination, hate, failure, perhaps she was strong enough to never let her morale down. At the age of 10, she found her interest in wearing clothes like girls, playing with dolls, and every girly thing.

However, she was not supposed to do that because she was born a boy. And her family was not expecting that opposite behavior from her side. She revealed, “I would dress as a girl when I went outside and change before the house I returned”.

Her anguish can be examined by knowing that she was dropped out of school after class 10th because she was unable to conform to the gender norms imposed on her. She was bullied all the time because of her appearance.

Often time she kept hiding her identity and her liking for girly things from society.

Recalling the tough time, she said, “I didn’t tell my family that I was unable to take verbal bullying by other boys in my school. I just told my mother that I had got a job in Dinajpur, and I wanted to go there. I told her that I will come back in two months if things didn’t work out, and she consented”.

However, she lied and came to Islampur in the Uttar Dinajpur district and never went back. Her problems didn’t halt yet, she was suffering from basic needs like food, shelter & health.

Nobody there was ready to give her a room in the hotel because of the typical stereotypes and also prohibiting her to enter the restaurants even after she was ready to pay.

Doctors refused her to give proper treatment because she was of another group. Police refused to file a complaint and insulted her In the police station calling her undisciplined and dishonest. 

All these things shattered her from inside but her dreams were bigger than these hurdles. Afterward, she decided to start a new journey, and fight against social injustice that prevails for these people.

From School Dropout To India’s First Transgender Judge

When approximately every hotel refused to give her a hotel room she make the nearest bus stand as a shelter home. She used to sleep at night there and sometimes also begged on the streets for food.

Later, she decided to join Kinnar Samaj (a group of trans people) where she started to go to parties and big events to earn money. In India, people treat their arrival and blessings as good luck but never pay respects to them. The discrimination and ignorance still threaten the survival and livelihoods of the community.

Moreover, many transgender people go to a marriage function or birth anniversaries to give blessings for getting some money in return. The same became the daily schedule for Joyita but her goal was different.

She decided to complete her education first, by which she choose to take education from correspondence. Because the earlier hate and mockery against her by her classmates shattered her badly. She got herself a Law degree.

But that was not enough to break the stereotype thinking of the society. She decided to work for the welfare of people, especially for the community to which she belongs.

She later started an organization with her local transgender friend’s name Dinajpur Noton Alo Society on January 10, 2010, which helped thousands of people in the district.

Over the seven years after the inception of Dinajpur Noton Alo society (also known as Dinajpur New Light), it has grown to help over 2000 transgender in the region. After the commendable success of her organization, her confidence was boosted to new heights and she decided to expand her social work furthermore.

In an interview, she said, “A year after registration in 2011, I got my first big break in a foreign project for legal aid to transgender of the region in 2012. I gave legal aid to 200 transgender during that project and was appreciated by the government. Since then, we built an old-age shelter in 2015 and got voter ID cards made for transgender in two brothels in Islampur”.

It’s amazing to know that Joyita Mondal is the first transgender to get a voter ID card in her district. Also, she is the first transgender to vote in the elections from her district.

Legal Right To Transgender In India Gave Joyita Mondal A New Hope

After having a legal right to trans people in India many transgender got a new hope to achieve their dreams. They can now plan their life according to themselves, they can now move freely. I remember that one famous quote from MANABI BANDYOPADHYAY that gives light to the above revolution-

“Be Yourself, The World Will Adjust”

Manabi BAndyopadhyay

The Transgender Person (Protection Of Right) Act, 2019 (Transgender Person Act) seeks to recognize the identity of a transgender person and prohibit discrimination in, inter alia, the fields of education, employment, healthcare, holding or disposing of property, holding public or private office and access to and use of public services and benefit.

In the light of the above law, the Indian government decided to appoint Joyita Mondal as the First Transgender Judge of Islampur Lok Adalat (Civil Court) in July 2017.

It’s exciting that earlier she used to spend restless bedtimes in the bus stand and now she is the judge of the Lok Adalat, which is just 10 mins far from that same bus stand.

However, Joyita’s motive is much bigger than being a Justice, she wants to break the stereotype mentality of the society towards transgender. She said, “A handful of us becoming judges, principals won’t bring a change. Still Transgenders are working as sex workers and begging in trains, individual success means nothing”.

Her dream is to provide education to other transgenders and urge the government to appoint them at least as a group D staff where physical labor is involved. She said, “Even if 2-3% of transgenders in Islampur get dignified jobs, I would consider my appointment as beneficial for my community. They would not have to work as sex Workers for 200-300 RS and begging in a train or streets“.

Heroes like Joyita Mondal not only inspire us but also give a light of hope to the vulnerable section of India which are fighting for their rights for decades. Not only Joyita Mondal earlier many transgender also work for their community.

Like, Manabi Bandyopadhyay, the first transgender Ph.D. professor of India,

Padmini Prakash; the first Tamil TV news anchor;

Kalki Subramaniam, International speaker, trans activist, and many more.

But still, society won’t recognize the crucial part they’re playing, still, some stereotype thinking keeps them ignorant and vulnerable. Why transgender is still a punishment?

Hope everyone will teach their child, they’re not different, they are as human as us.

Source:-

• Meet the First Transgender judge of India– Womensenews.org
• From sleeping in bus stand to first transgender Judge– Drilers.com

Do let us know about the Unsung heroes you know that are doing or did tremendous work for the betterment of society. We’ll be glad to do more research about them and will write a tribute dedicating to them. 

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