NEW DELHI: Anaya BangarDaughter of the former India cricket player and coach Sanjay Bangar, spoke of toxic masculinity that continues to torment the world of cricket. In a Candide interview, Anaya revealed disturbing experiences that she met in the cricket circle, in particular by receiving naked photos of cricket players, verbal violence and being proposed by a former player.
Anaya, who came out public last year and shared her transformation path by replacement hormone therapy and Sex surgerywas formerly known as Aryan. She followed the traces of her father, playing cricket from age group in India. However, she said that the trip after the transition came with many challenges.
“There was support and there was also harassment,” said Anaya during an interview with Lallantop, reflecting on his trip.
When asked how the other cricket players responded after his surgery asserted by the sexes, Anaya said: “There were some cricket players who have sent me after naked photos.”
She also shared more painful experiences:
“The person used to give Galis in front of everyone. The same person then came to sit next to me and asked for my photos. There was another case, when I was in India, I said to a Puraane cricket player (veteran) of my situation. He told me that we are going in the car, I want to sleep with you.”
Having played alongside eminent Indian crickets like Musheer Khan, Sarfaraz Khan and Yashasvi Jaiswal during her early years, Anaya said that she was forced to keep her identity hidden due to her father’s public profile.
“I had to keep the secret about myself because dad is a well-known figure. The world of cricket is filled with insecurity and toxic masculinity,” she added.
Anaya represented Islam Gymkhana in the Mumbai club circuit and also played for the Hinckley Cricket Club in Leicestershire, in the United Kingdom.
However, his cricket ambitions were faced with a major setback in November 2023, when the International Cricket Council (ICC) presented a new policy prohibiting transgender women from participating in the international cricket of women.
“Inclusion is incredibly important for us as a sport, but our priority was to protect the integrity of the international games of women and the safety of players,” said CEO of the ICC, Geoff Alterdice.
Anaya responded to the policy with a detailed article on Instagram, expressing its disappointment with the decision.
It currently lies in the United Kingdom.
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