Struggle for Recognition in a Medieval Realm: The Story of Lily

The time was medieval, a realm conventionally regarded as the Dark Ages. A period where there is hardly any light of rational knowledge. A domain where ignorance and intolerance are the order of the day. A world where deviating from societal norms is unforgivable, or rather a sin, and amidst all this chaos, Lily was trying to find her way.

So, what made her struggle so hard? Well, it was the biggest struggle one could have-the struggle for recognition of her existence! Now, you may be guessing that she must be poor, trying to make ends meet, or trying to upgrade her social status. However, those struggles are intricately intertwined with her essential identity, gender.

As we all know, like all other identities, gender, too, is a social construction, and being a member of a heterosexual society, you can be either female or male. Lily was no exception to this societal norm.

Until now, your narrator has referred to Lily as 'her.' But that's because it is Lily who feels like 'her' and not 'him,' the gender identity assigned to her at birth by the society she lived in.

Quite obviously, the assignment of this 'male' status came with a package full of normative expectations. Lily was supposed to be 'lacking in emotions, 'physically strong,' 'possessing the qualities of a knight,' or an 'astute tradesman.' But Lily didn't feel like a male at all and, thus, felt trapped in a body that was supposed to be solely her possession.

Her deviation from societal expectations has always attracted scorn and disapproval. She had no one to share her inner thoughts and feelings with and, thus, failed to realize her 'social self,' which is considered the 'essence,' of a human being. She kept herself hidden from the world, fearing being banished from the society she lived in. The only thing that provided her solace was her journal, in which she voiced all her feelings and opinions. The journal gave her the comfort she needed to unburden the weight of secrecy, tearing apart her spirit every moment of her life.

But one day, even that comfort got snatched when a neighbor stole it from her study and discovered everything about her true identity.

As expected, words spread like a forest fire in a community characterized by intimate relationships, and the ultimate destination of these words was the court of King Richards.

As a staunch adherent of traditions and a relentless protector of his religion, King Richards had control over both the swords, representing the material and the spiritual world. Accordingly, he considered any deviations from the normative standards a threat to the social order and regarded it as his duty to align those deviations with the societal standards.

When the story of Lily reached his ears, he wasted no time and summoned her to the grand hall so that his authority could be publicly demonstrated and conformity was enforced. The moment she reached the hall, Lily understood that her life would never be the same. The judgemental and disdainful eyes of the spectators tore apart her spirits. By the time she was declared a heretic and sentenced to exile by the king, Lily was nothing but a living dead. She knew that she would not be welcomed anywhere from this very moment.

So, she ventured towards where all outcasts of the society lived-the forests. As she entered this new domain, the fear of the unknown settled heavily on her soul. However, gradually as she started living there and became aware of the struggles of her fellow outcasts, a sense of shared feeling started blooming in her. This shared feeling allowed her to pass her days comfortably as she could show her true self out in the open.

Nevertheless, it was ultimately the life of an 'outcast,' and the pain of loss and rejection that came with that tag could not be eradicated. Besides that, there was the aspect of a lack of adequate resources to make ends meet. Being rejected by society also implies that the concerned person doesn't have access to its resources. So, as one could expect, Lily's physical and emotional strength kept waning with each passing day. Ultimately, when winter seized the land, Lily could not survive the ravages of nature and eventually succumbed. The most tragic part of her story was that her true self was never accepted, her struggles never received the required empathy, and her existence was obliterated from the annals of history.

Author's Note

The story of Lily, a transgender outcast, is a haunting reminder of how mercilessly cruel the bygone era was. It is a testament to infinite shattered dreams and lost lives just because society refused to recognize and accept the diversity of human experiences.

May her tragic tale ignite empathy and compassion in the hearts of those who listen to it. Let us take an oath to learn from our past. Let us promise ourselves that we will create a world where everyone is free to be their authentic self without inhibitions, and no one is left to perish in the shadows of ignorance.😊🙌🙌

Having said that, let us look at Isha and Subha's journey of rediscovering friendship, romance and ultimately themselves. 😉😉