Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala’s keen sense of social awareness and its approval of gender equality were on display when football teams comprising men, women and transgender people played in front of an appreciative audience in Malappuram district this week.

The gender-neutral football tournament was organised by the youth wing of the Kerala Sasthra Sahitya Parishad (science and literature society), and is perhaps the first of its kind in India.

The organisers said the idea of holding the tournament was to raise general awareness about the need for gender appreciation and gender parity, as also to exhibit how different genders were complementary. They also hope that the tournament would help reduce the strong gender biases that are a common sight on sports grounds.

The teams that played in Malappuram had seven females, three males and a transgender in each team. The males were given fixed positions of a full-back, a half-back and a forward while the seven females and the lone transgender in each team were allowed to take any position on the field.

Though there were some apprehensions about how the tournament would be received by the public, there was enthusiastic response and the galleries applauded while the players of different genders exhibited their soccer skills on the field.

The organisers began the novel venture in the northernmost district of Kasaragod and are hoping to take it to other venues, with Palakkad on schedule as the next destination.

Gender awareness also got a boost in the state capital when a cafeteria run by transgender people was much appreciated by those who flocked to the street book festival currently on at the Manaveeyam Veedhi. The cafeteria’s organisers said they got a highly positive response from their customers who were mainly book buffs

source : gulfnews