BENGALURU: For the LGBT community, getting a bottle of blood, even in case of an emergency, is extremely difficult. Not just that, they say that they are treated differently by the hospital staff as well and activists second this. They usually hide their identities while undergoing treatment.
Chetan, founder of Khoon Khas, says, “When they go to buy blood, they are often asked to replace it or asked to pay more. They find it difficult to replace it because of the ban on transgenders donating blood. And they can’t reach out to others because of the stigma attached to them.”
Activist Srini Ramaswami started Working With Pride, a free group which anybody can be a part of. Over 30 people from LGBT community are a part of this. They narrate their experiences during sessions held on first Saturday of every month.He says, “We have people from across the country sharing their experiences on how transpersons from certain states either end up paying more or try to get it through backroom channels or even travel to a different place for it. They still feel that doctors in India aren’t sensitised to treating the third gender.”
Alvin, a transperson says, “Two years ago, I went to a skin doctor in South Bengaluru as I had too many pimples. It was around 1 pm, there was no one in the clinic. After she treated me and gave me prescription, she peeped out and saw another patient waiting. She told me to hide in the toilet because she doesn’t want others to know that she treats transgenders. The pimples may have gone, but the scar remains.”
The Supreme Court recognises transpersons as third gender. The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016, criminalises discrimination against transgenders such as by denying them services, or shaming them on basis of their gender. But they face discrimination everywhere. After being humiliated at hospitals over which ward they have to be admitted in, the community had demanded a separate ward. But that did not make it to the 2016 Bill.