HYDERABAD: Deepa, a transwoman who lives in Hyderabad, has not registered her name on the government’s web portal to avail the benefits of various welfare schemes. “To register, I will have to change the gender on my Aadhaar card and all. I cannot do that because I have issues with my family,” she said. There is a lot left to be desired from the government, she added.
Deepa was one of the hundreds of people who took part in the Queer Swabhimana Yatra on Sunday, organised annually to reclaim the self-respect and rights of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual and other genders- abbreviated as LGBTQIA+ community. Deepa, a data entry professional, said, “During such walks, members of the queer community get to present themselves just like how they feel inside. Their inner feelings come out.”
The participants, holding rainbow flags and banners with slogans of queer pride, marched from Gachibowli to Shilparamam in Hitec City.
A lesbian couple at the march, who did not want to be named, are optimistic about the growing number of safe spaces for queer persons in the city. One of the women, who has lived in Hyderabad all her life, told TNIE, “Till five to six years ago, members of the community used to meet secretly. There was not much information about such spaces. Now, in spaces like the Queer-Trans Wellness and Support Center in Habsiguda, members can express themselves freely.”
As the participants danced their way through with dhol beats, passersby on vehicles and the roads curiously looked on, with some reaching for their mobile phones. Sumathi, who was visiting Shilparamam, did not know what was going on.
When asked about her views, she said, “The livelihoods of transgender persons, such as begging, leaves a negative impression in the minds of people. The government should educate them or help them set up businesses so that they can be reintegrated into society. Everyone should live with love.”