While the Lok Sabha polls are in their last round, leading parties including Congress and BJP have yet another chance to highlight the part of their respective manifestos whichtalk about India¡¯s transgender community.?
The trans community in India, over the years, has faced discrimination. However, after decriminalisation of homosexuality last year and massive sensitisation programmes, things are changing for good.
Indiatimes spoke with Rudrani Chettri, a transgender activist and model, about the challenges that the community faces as of now and can Indian politicians really take away the hardships faced by them.
¡°Care is a very big term. I don¡¯t find Indian politicians and political parties caring about the community at all. Just because India is voting in the Lok Sabha elections this year, all of the sudden everyone wants to talk about the transgender community without even understanding what it means and who they are,¡± replies Rudrani, emphasising on how the current elections have everyone talking about the transgender community.
Many political parties have given tickets to transgender candidates in the mother of all election. However, Rudrani believes that most politicians and political parties do not understand the plight of the community and have only seized the opportunity to show that they are concerned and inclusive.
¡°You can¡¯t field someone for namesake and know nothing about their plight and the hostile conditions they face in daily life. I believe it is not the perfect idea of functioning towards the well-being of a community.
¡°Political parties are only talking about spreading awareness in about transgenders in the country. Sadly, no one is talking about education, health, job security, insurance, or the law system that can protect the community from harassment,¡± she adds.
Education is the biggest challenge for the transgenders in India. ¡°We have believed that literate individuals who have formal education, a degree, etc are the ones who want a better inclusive society. However, this is wrong at many levels. The same literate individuals are shunning away people who they think do not fit in the societal fabric of the country,¡± she says.
Rudrani says a fruit vendor or a chaiwala is far more inclusive and free of bias than literate individuals and institutions.
¡°A politician once told in my face that he knows this a gender disorder citing a Google search,¡± she adds.
What has changed after decriminalisation of Section 377?
¡°It was a happy moment and things are changing steadily, but of course, not as quickly as we want them. There is a sense of security understanding that if something happens with me today, I have the backing of law,¡± Rudrani says.?
She says media is sensibly approaching issues that relate to sexual minorities and educational institutions are spreading awareness due to which the community is not looked down upon increasingly.
The Transgender Persons [Protection of Rights] Bill, 2016, for example, treats sexual violence as a petty offence ¨C maximum punishment being two years.?
Last year, India introduced death penalty for child rapists. In August 2018, Indian parliament passed a stringent legislation prescribing death penalty to those convicted of raping girls below the age of 12 years and making the law against such sexual offences harsher.
However, the penalty of sexual crime against transgenders only attracts a maximum punishment of two years, not undermining the ridicule the community members have to face, including mockery by authorities.
To know more what Rudrani said on Gender issues, watch her interview with Indiatimes:
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