Chennai: Many trans people are disowned by their families when they come out. But every now and then we hear heartening stories of parents who stand by their loved ones through thick and thin. And Nikunj Jain’s is one such story.
When the transman, who lives in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, experienced gender incongruence as his body changed, his mother, Anita, did everything she could to help him. “It was really painful for me to deal with the fact that my body was changing. I couldn’t afford to buy a chest binder, and was very upset,” he says.
But a conversation with his mother in 2021 changed everything. “I showed her what a binder looks like. And she immediately said she would make one for me,” says Nikunj.
Nikunj Jain with his mother Anita, who makes cotton chest binders for him
So Anita, who makes saree blouses for women in the neighbourhood, soon fashioned a binder out of cotton. “It’s like a banian, and it flattens my breasts. She made two or three so that I could wear one every day, and when they get worn out she makes new ones,” says Nikunj, adding that she has always been very supportive. “When she realised my gender identity, she said you live as you want, no matter what happens, you are my child.”
When he established Tapish Foundation which works to empower trans people and create awareness about trans men in Madhya Pradesh, Anita inaugurated it.
“I asked her to speak at the inaugural function and, after listening to her, some other parents changed their views and accepted their children,” says Nikunj.
