Viewing cultural connections through analysis of the representation of transgenders and trans sexuality in recent Bollywood and OTT

Abstract

The mainstreamed dimorphism of sexuality has long called for conformity to the social construction of gender binary, particularly that of normative masculinity. Society has thus mostly drawn lines on questions about body, self, and sexual identity. Consequently, till today there have been cultural stereotypes and social taboos that concern gender identity. Media is considered a major source and agent of socialisation and has begun to reflect more on these socially significant issues. So, understanding the framing of gender-fluid identities as well as analysing the context of sexuality, is a pressing issue in contemporary society. In India, where traditional gender roles are deeply ingrained, the subject of transgender sexuality and romantic relationships has been a taboo topic for a long time. So, this paper looks at the themes of trans-sexuality and relationships in the recent Bollywood and OTT content. It employs a qualitative research design involving a content analysis focused on portraying transgender characters, trans sexuality, and romantic relationships in the sample content. The research relied on the qualitative approach to identify themes and patterns in the data to reveal that this topic is being discussed more boldly and with nuanced understanding to some extent in recent years, but shades of stereotyping still exist. The study examines the impact of such representation on the audience and culture. The analysis reveals that there has been an improvement in the representation of transgender characters in recent years, and such representation has contributed to creating awareness and understanding of trans issues in Indian society.