Thanks for writing this! One of my good friends is a young trans man in Kolkata, and he's been fortunate with his family. He parents accept him, to an extent, privately.

He has their support and love, but in return they expect him to keep his LGBTQ identity a secret.

It's tough for him. He's in his last year at a prestigious graduate school, and he already has a firm job offer from one of India's most important corporations, but unlike his peers in the same circumstances, he is filled with anxiety.

The corporation knows he's queer. They extended the job offer in part because they know it. (I don't want to get more detailed than that in order to protect my friend's privacy.)

He feels like he has a sword hanging over his head — like he's going to face huge problems with his extended family and their influential social group when word gets out (and it will) that he's trans.

Nobody should have to live like that. My friend is super smart, creative, kind, and hard working. He wouldn't have accomplished what he's already accomplished otherwise.

But he's afraid because he knows many people will want to judge him not for his positives, but for his trans identity.

By the way, he's been an editor at Prism & Pen for years, should you ever wish to submit stories to us about LGBTQ issues:

https://medium.com/prismnpen/