(Image source from: Instagram.com/anayabangar)
Anaya Bangar, the daughter of former Indian cricketer and coach Sanjay Bangar, recently recounted a deeply personal transformation following her experience with hormonal replacement therapy and gender-affirming surgery. Previously known by the name Aryan, Anaya is an athlete who followed in her father's footsteps by playing age-group cricket. However, she disclosed that significant challenges arose in her cricketing career after her transition. Now residing in the United Kingdom, Anaya's path has been anything but straightforward. In a recent discussion, she addressed the issue of "toxic masculinity" prevalent in the cricketing community.
During an interview with Lallantop, Anaya was posed the question, "When did you come to realize that you were in the wrong gender?" She responded, "I realized it when I was about eight or nine years old. I would choose clothes from my mom's wardrobe and wear them. I often looked in the mirror and thought, 'I am a girl. I want to be a girl.'" Anaya mentioned having played alongside notable cricketers such as Musheer Khan, Sarfaraz Khan, and Yashasvi Jaiswal but emphasized the need for discretion about her identity, especially since her father is quite well-known. She expressed that the cricket world is rife with insecurities and oppressive masculinity.
When the topic shifted to her fellow cricketers' reactions after her gender affirmation surgery, Anaya described a mix of support and harassment. "There has been encouragement, but also some negative experiences," she noted. When prompted for specifics about the harassment, she recounted that some cricketers sent her unsolicited nude photos.
Anaya also shared an unsettling incident involving a person who would verbally abuse her publicly. "This individual would hurl insults in front of others but would later approach me and request my pictures. On another occasion in India, I confided in an older cricketer about my situation, and he suggested we go for a drive, indicating he wanted to sleep with me."
Like Sanjay, Anaya has participated in cricket representing the Islam Gymkhana at the club level. She has also played for the Hinckley Cricket Club in Leicestershire. Nonetheless, in November 2023, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced that transgender athletes would be barred from competing in women's cricket. ICC CEO Geoff Allardice stated, "While inclusivity is extremely important in our sport, our primary focus is to preserve the integrity of the women's international game and ensure the safety of all players." Anaya took to Instagram, where she shared a lengthy message expressing her disappointment regarding the ICC's decision. Now living in Manchester, she remains active on social media, keeping her followers regularly informed about her life.
