Kohima: Amid the global celebration of Pride Month, a transgender student at South Point School in Guwahati, Assam, was suspended from school for posting a “sexualised” photo on her personal social media account.
The class-XI student was suspended after posting photos of herself in a bathing suit on Instagram. In this regard, the State Transgender Welfare Board has formally written to the school seeking an explanation.
Speaking to EastMojo, Associate Vice-Chairperson of the State Transgender Welfare Board, Rituparna, expressed concerns, stating, “It is not the school’s business to interfere with the social media handles of any student, whether they are transgender or not. Although they are not adults, they are under the supervision of their parents. Therefore, it is none of the school’s business what photos they post. This can be seen as a case of the school stalking and intruding on the privacy of the student.”
Criticising the principal’s actions, she added, It is inappropriate for the principal to check the post and have the audacity to call the student at 9 PM, outside of school hours, and use words like ‘disgusting’ to describe and also sexualise the photo. The post was not made in any of the school groups but on the student’s personal account.”
She informed that the principal had reportedly told the student that she “was nice” before but had changed since entering class 11, citing her tattoos, piercings, and “sexualised” posts. Rituparna argued that no child should be sexualised.
As a member of the board, Rituparna said that when she reached out to the school, the principal “outrageously” told her to visit the school alone without her “gang or group or community”. Rituparna recalled that when she questioned the school head about what he meant, his response demonstrated his “transphobia”. As an official on duty, she said that the principal has no right to dictate what she should do.
She further highlighted the principal’s inappropriate directives to the parents, asking them to remove the student from the transgender community and to remove her piercings. She observed that these are conditions that should not be imposed on a child to allow them to return to school.
To address such concerns, Rituparna emphasised the need to develop modalities and school guidelines for an inclusive school environment. “We are suggesting that the government provide advisories through the education departments to schools and colleges for gender-neutral washrooms and hostels, especially in universities. We hope these will be implemented soon,” Rituparna added.
She also expressed pride in the transgender student for being bold and vocal about her identity and commended the support of the student’s parents.
“To any transgender students facing similar situations, you are not alone—come forward and talk about it, and at the same time, focus on building yourself. Educate and empower yourself so that no one can question you tomorrow. Many situations are not in our favour, but reach out to someone. We will do it together. We are always here to help and support you,” she said.
Since taking charge at the board, she said that this incident was the first formal complaint it received. The complaint, she said, is being taken seriously and assured that necessary measures with the concerned authorities will be taken up as it violated the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019.
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While several awareness activities are being held at schools and colleges, she said that more needs to be done. “We need more constructive and reformative actions at school levels. This includes incorporating inclusive and sensitive language in textbooks and training teachers for gender-inclusive and sensitive school campuses. Many transgender students drop out because of the insensitive environment of the school. We need a holistic approach for all kinds of students, promoting inclusivity and diversity,” she said.
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