Archie to represent India in Miss International Trans 2021
LGBTQ family and the awareness about doing right by this community is an act that caught fire in the last 15 years. But we are far from saying that these people are given an equal status in our society. The discrimination that the LGBTQ community faces is not restricted to geographical boundaries. Surely, in a country like India which breathes on religion and is still tight when it comes to its old customs and beliefs, these people face stronger aversion and non-acceptance. Of all, the transgenders face the maximum heat. And Archie Singh was no exception!
Archie was born in a middle-class family of Delhi, who at the age of 17 had come out in public about her identity, and she wanted to flaunt it. She said, “I wanted to be the truest version of me, I didn't want to pretend to be someone else anymore.” After which she embarked on her journey full of thorns to become a model.
“You're not a real woman," is what was told to Archie once by an agent when she had auditioned for a modelling shoot. Archie had reciprocated saying, "I am a woman, and I'm trans but I'm equally a woman. My official government ID recognizes me as a woman, and I have had gender-reassignment surgery. But they didn't listen. They wanted a 'woman who wasn't trans’ but didn't want to say that." Those days were very demotivating, and it brokers her self-confidence into small crumbs. Despite all adversities, Archie never gave up.
As her modelling career began, she started and continued her gender-reassignment surgery to transform fully into a woman. That was the turning point for Archie. After that she became the brand ambassador for a brand and the cherry on the cake was, she won Miss Trans India. Following which, she started getting offers to become the showstopper for multiple fashion shows. In the middle of all these growing opportunities, the discrimination persisted in bits.
"I never got rejected because of my skill or my looks. It was because I was a trans," said Archie.
Archie Singh has now achieved a milestone as she will be representing India in Miss International Trans 2021, that will take place in Colombia this year. This is an international pageant competition where trans pageant winners from across the globe will participate and represent their country respectively, like Miss Columbia Trans, Miss Ghana Trans, and Miss America Trans, to name a few.
Archie wants to use this international competition as a platform to create and spread more awareness about the hardships inflicted upon trans people. She hopes it will lessen the stigma around trans people in India. "Indians lack awareness, and I'm open to conversation. I'm willing to educate them," she said. "It shouldn't be a stigma in this day and age."
In one of the interviews, Archie gave a heartfelt message to the people who want to come out, “Gender shouldn't be a barrier to achieve success in life. Humanity should come first as an identity not sexuality or choice of work. It is not mandatory that only women and men can attain success, it is the capability and the determination to move forward that takes you to the mountain of success. Gender transformation is a big step and not everyone is comfortable to go with that decision, what matters is the never stopping attitude and to respect everyone.”
On April 15, 2014, in the case of National Legal Services Authority vs Union of India, the Supreme Court of India had declared transgender people as the 'third gender', and had further affirmed that the fundamental rights granted under the Constitution of India shall be equally applicable to them, and gave them the right to self-identification of their gender as male, female or third gender. Almost 7 years to that day, and we still have a long way to go.
