Exclusive: Backed by father, Anaya Bangar to undergo gender-affirming surgery

BOMBAY TIMES EXCLUSIVECricketer and trans-rights advocator Anaya Bangar’s modulation travel is nary longer a solitary battle. While her younger member Atharva has ever stood firmly by her side, her parents (former cricketer Sanjay Bangar and Kashmira Bangar) person present travel around, offering implicit affectional and fiscal enactment arsenic she prepares for a large milestone successful her transition.In an exclusive conversation, Anaya shared, “I volition beryllium undergoing gender-affirming country (vaginoplasty) successful March. Fashion decorator Saisha Shinde and histrion Trinetra Haldar Gummaraju, who person besides undergone the procedure, guided me. I’ll beryllium having the country astatine the aforesaid session successful Thailand, wherever I’ll request to enactment for astatine slightest a month. After that, I’ll person to remainder for a while. I won’t beryllium capable to play cricket for astatine slightest six months, but I’m gladsome this is yet happening.”Anaya says the timing of her determination was shaped by some household enactment and fiscal stability. “I’ve waited for this infinitesimal for 5 years. This is who I am. I ne'er felt aligned with the sex I was calved with,” she said.Describing the profoundly idiosyncratic journey, she said, “The determination to acquisition the gender-affirming country came aft years of therapy, aesculapian evaluations and heavy self-reflection. I went done extended intelligence and aesculapian assessments to guarantee I’m ready.

This country isn’t astir proving thing to society. It’s astir yet feeling astatine location successful my body.”The 25-year-old credits her quality connected the world amusement Rise and Fall past twelvemonth arsenic a turning point. “I received immense enactment from radical and was successful a amended spot financially, too. My begetter saw radical taking pictures with me, lasting by maine and respecting me. Both my parents realised this wasn’t a phase. They saw that I was superior astir my beingness and my choices,” Anaya said.That displacement proved transformative. “This is who I am,” Anaya reiterated. “I judge that’s what led them to travel astir and connection maine afloat support. My begetter is bearing the implicit expenses of my surgery. At 1 point, I was wholly connected my ain successful the UK, and determination is inactive a batch of stigma astir LGBTQ+ radical wrong families. I anticipation that by speaking retired and by my household supporting me, it volition assistance different trans women. It could marque these conversations easier successful idiosyncratic else’s home.

In a state wherever conversations astir sex individuality are inactive hard wrong families, my parents’ enactment means everything.”As she prepares for this adjacent chapter, Anaya besides addressed misconceptions surrounding her advocacy. She said, “No 1 goes this acold conscionable for publicity. When I spoke astir inclusivity successful cricket, it wasn’t to summation attention. I don’t privation to invade women’s cricket, if that’s what radical think. Sport has ever been astir fairness. My basal is simply that fairness should beryllium evidence-based, not fear-based. Right now, my absorption is connected healing and surviving fully.

Everything other volition travel I privation a speech to begin. It tin beryllium considered connected a case-by-case basis. If not me, astatine slightest idiosyncratic from the adjacent procreation volition benefit. That’s the aim.”