Transgender quota needs an enabling environment

The recent report of a transgender quota for postgraduate courses at Bangalore University going unclaimed made headlines in the media and has spurred the government and civil society to do some rethinking. In spite of affirmative actions taken by the government, in the form
of quotas in jobs and educational institutions, transgender people are hesitant to claim what is rightfully theirs. This makes it evident that the actions taken by the government to remove social discrimination and
inequality will not come to fruition unless the bias is stemmed in society. 

Transgender people are looked upon as an aberration everywhere, and India is no different. However, there is a peculiarity in our society. Indian mythology accords them divine status, and they are therefore associated with mythical creatures called kinnaras. They are welcome at ceremonies like marriage and childbirth and their blessings are sought. It is an irony that their demi-god status ends there, and they transform into objects of ridicule. Hence, transgender children are abandoned by their parents in infancy. If they are fortunate enough to survive, they are ostracized. Lacking education and skills, they are left with no option but to become sex workers or resort to begging. Those who are brought up by their parents, having been assigned the wrong gender at birth, grow up in confusion, and when they come out, are disowned by their family and end up on the streets.

In the past decade, there has been an awakening amongst transgender people about their rights, and they have been vocal about it. Today, we are seeing members of the community blazing a trail despite the adversities they are facing. Prominent among them are Danseuse Narthaki Natraj, the first transgender person to be awarded Padmashri; Rose, a talk show host from Tamil Nadu; Apsara Reddy and Akkai Padmashali, who are activists and are associated with political parties; Manabi Bandopadhay, the first transgender person to become the principal of an educational institution; and Dr Vibha Usha Radhakrishnanan, who recently became the first transwoman to get an MBBS in Kerala.

The political system has also woken up to the fact that there are people who may not conform to the gender binary, and they need to be acknowledged. While the measures are commendable, they will not be effective unless there is a change in the attitude of society towards transgender people. At the same time, the members of the community also need to stand up for themselves and claim their space. These two changes need to happen in tandem.

The government, the transgender community, and civil society will have to work together to achieve this. The general public, especially children, needs to be sensitised about the transgender community, as they will be the new society. This education needs to be a part of their curriculum from the early years in an age-appropriate manner. Achievers from the transgender community need to encourage and instill confidence amongst their members to fight for and claim their rights. Civil society groups need to work on both fronts, sensitising people and supporting community members.

A couple of years ago, a transgender person approached me at a traffic signal for money. As I gave her a ten rupee note, she proceeded to give me a coin as a blessing, which is a customary practice. Unaware of it, I looked at her with confusion. Mistaking my ignorance for hesitation, she smiled at me and said, “HedrkobeDi, naavu kooDa manushyare” (do not be afraid; we too are human beings). As I fumbled for words to clarify, the signal turned green, leaving me part guilty and part thinking. The fact that transgender people must assert that they too are human beings means that they are not viewed as such. There is a need to create an enabling environment if they are to benefit from affirmative actions. Otherwise, society will be deprived of the artists, civil servants, doctors, engineers, lawyers, activists, politicians, corporate executives, and educators that the transgender community has the potential to produce. More than anything else, they will be able to live a dignified life. This can happen only if we understand that they too are human beings, just the same as us.

(The writer is an independent researcher with an interest in the WTO)