Struggling With Identity In The Wake Of The Pandemic

Posted by Deepannita Misra

In Epistemology of the Closet (1990), Eve Sedgewick attributes the concept of “closetedness” to a silent efficiency. Popping out has lengthy been acknowledged as an impressive, life-changing occasion by itself. But, there are layers upon layers to at least one’s experiences ‘inside’ the closet. As soon as outdoors, oppression and stigmatization hound these tagged ‘irregular’ in a society. However inside, one always juggles the anxiousness of being outed with a imaginative and prescient of lastly residing as they wish to. These are however two sides of the identical coin, and as Sedgewick factors out in her work, one could possibly be in simply as a lot hazard ‘inside’ as outdoors.

It is because the discourse of the closet has been constructed in relation to what lies outdoors. One should comply to the heteronormativity and the social norms pertaining to at least one’s organic intercourse. You play your half in social establishments, as designated by your intercourse. Or else, you danger being handled as an outcast between two extremities—seen both as a person too ‘effeminate’ or as a lady too ‘masculine’. For somebody who has ventured out of the closet, being queer typically interprets into an act of assertion of identification. Nonetheless, for somebody who remains to be ‘inside’ and/or experimenting, the street to self-assertion seems to have turn into fairly completely different.   

Within the mild of a humanitarian disaster assuming the proportions of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re confronted with probably eternal adjustments in existence and patterns of accessibility to healthcare, schooling, leisure and employment. The World Well being Organisation (WHO) has not expressed confidence in a vaccine or everlasting antidote to the virus being mandated for mass manufacturing simply but. Extra considerably nevertheless, as social distancing turns into the brand new ‘regular’, in a Foucauldian sense, we’re transferring in the direction of altering our discourses of affection, intimacy and attraction as properly. The human contact can by no means be outdated. However the pandemic has definitely altered our perceptions in the direction of it. 

For fairly a while, research have been emphasizing that loneliness, anxiousness, feeling coerced to maintain up a heteronormative look, troubled social relations, substance abuse, lack of familial help, gender dysphoria, psychological well being points, financial misery, and stigmatisation all act in tandem to contribute to a decrease high quality of life for queer people, and amongst them the youth particularly. In such a situation, when people are compelled to isolate themselves in empty residences or quarantine themselves with an unsupportive household or pals for months on finish, one can solely think about the toll it could tackle their psychological well being.

Additionally learn: COVID-19: How Casteist Is This Pandemic?

In a 2014 examine titled, ‘Does hugging present stress-buffering social help?’, Cohen et al. discovered that although there are numerous technique of extending one’s help, hugging is the best. Additionally it is a pure buffer in opposition to stress and vulnerability to a number of ailments attributable to stress and conflicts. In different phrases, the examine underlines that the heat of a easy hug can’t solely be reassuring but additionally alleviate susceptibility to ailments. However for somebody who should be making an attempt to ‘determine’ who they’re and what their identification really is, the lack of entry to human contact is insurmountable.

This pandemic, together with altering our existence, has additionally revealed gaping holes within the ways in which our economic system, well being programs and society perform. We’re confronted with job losses, ineffective healthcare mechanisms, instances of discrimination and homophobia at house, and violence in opposition to girls and queer people all on the similar time.

Our elevated reliance on an lively web connection, communication by means of apps and social media, and the complete work-from-home mannequin do scream ‘productiveness’. But they haven’t proved efficient in opposition to the bodily reassurance of help. We are able to nonetheless use quite a few courting apps to speak to strangers and forge new bonds. However with out the opportunity of a tangible, bodily presence, that connection can solely be stretched thus far. We could possibly obtain our targets nearly however one of many core necessities of being human nonetheless stays tactile communication, very a lot rooted on the planet outdoors. 

In a 2016 report, WHO estimated the speed of suicides in India to be 16.5 per 100,000 individuals, which was additionally the best in South-east Asia. Moreover, India was ranked third by way of the excessive price of feminine suicides. Within the present situation, WHO has acknowledged that the price of the pandemic might be revealed not simply in how our world has modified bodily but additionally by way of rising psychological diseases.

Within the Indian context, the place abysmal expenditure on healthcare and allied providers has already demonstrated a extreme influence, one can even hypothesize the influence on psychological well being within the close to future, as authorities expenditure on it’s even decrease than the general expenditure on well being. India additionally has a paucity of psychological well being professionals. It’s right here that the queer youth is in direct line of fireside, having to cope with stigma and discrimination not solely on the financial entrance but additionally by way of availing psychological healthcare.

Lately, there have been information studies of trans people committing suicide or going through homophobia and violence inside the confines of their houses. What, then, can we make of these a whole lot of people at the moment combating their sexuality and gender disposition, with discovering a associate, or a good job on this economic system the place productiveness merely refuses to fade even when the channels of communication have modified?

Additionally learn: Save The Child – Curating A Response Plan For Children Amidst The Pandemic

The dictum is that human contact could also be misplaced however one should not lose out on being productive. Sadly, this spells catastrophe for individuals who are nonetheless within the closet, and by the point they collect the braveness to maneuver out, the world might have already modified ceaselessly. In fact, a lot of those struggles will go by unnoticed and as for the longer term, no quantity of salve or bandaging could possibly heal the wounded psyche of people affected by a scarcity of heat, stability, and reassurance in these making an attempt instances. 

Deepannita Misra is a researcher and younger skilled within the improvement sector with a Masters in Girls’s Research. Relating to analysis, gender, intersectionality and psychological well being have been among the key areas of curiosity for her. Sooner or later, she needs to proceed to interact with gender and associated fields and pursue a Phd. You will discover her on Instagram and LinkedIn.

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