In a message to the next Prime Minister of the country and the party which will be fielding him, transgenders have put forward a request to form a Transgender Welfare Cabinet in their Ministry and demanded reservati-on in education, training and employment. They said that transgenders, being a minority in the country, should be given reservation in all possible fields.
At a ceremony during the Koothandavar festival, Salima (39), president of TANSACS, said that according to a recent survey, there were about two lakh transgenders in the country, but those conducting the survey only had a cha-nce-meet with only one fourth of the transgenders as many of them were ash-amed to reveal their identity. Salima said that most of them run away or stayed away from home, in order to hide their lifestyle from their families. With few employment opportunities available to them, most transgenders earn their living by begging, singing and dancing and prostitution.
Even though many transgenders are trying to gain a place for themselves in private and government departments, including television, journalism, writing, acting, and all sorts of technical work, most of them ended up in the flesh trade. Salima said that these people should break away from this and get tra-ined in the technical fields so that society and their families recognise them.
Aruna, a transgender and a writer, said, “The newly elected PM and all political parties should form a Cabinet for the welfare of transgenders.”
“We hope the Supreme Court judgment on transgenders will help cement this cause,” she added.
On April 15, the SC, in its judgment, had declared transgenders as a ‘third gender’ in the nation. It said that if any person iden-tified themselves as a transgender, then they would not be subjected to any sort of examination.