Kerala Leads The Way, Builds Shelter Homes for Ostracised Transgenders

Those belonging to the LGBT community have been fighting for their rights for the longest time. While they have earned some respect, there is still a long way to go for them to reach a stage where they are treated equally by the society.

Jasmine, a trans-woman in her early 30s, knocked on many doors to get a decent accommodation in the city when she was ostracised by her family. She was humiliated and mocked when she sought admission in a ladies hostel and pushed out of a rented room by its owner, who raised uncomfortable questions about her gender.

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She is just one among hundreds of third genders who were neither welcomed in hostels nor accepted as paying guests and forced to spend nights at bus stands and railway stations, suffering insult and harassment.

Efforts by Kerala

Though Kerala was the first state to unveil a 'Transgender Policy' to end social stigma towards them, the reality is that they find it difficult even to get decent accommodation, neither in cities nor in villages. But there is good news for the marginalised group as the state government is gearing up to provide 'shelter homes' for those among them who join its special literacy programme.

The third genders, who are part of 'Samanwaya', an exclusive continuing education programme for them designed by the state Literacy Mission, can enjoy safe stay at shelter homes till the completion of the course. Besides free accommodation, TG learners who pursue the course, would also get free food and scholarship.

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P S Sreekala, Director, state Literacy Mission, said this was the first time in the country that shelter homes were being provided for TGs as part of a literacy programme to avoid dropouts. In the initial stage, shelter-homes would be provided in four districts- Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha. Either government-owned buildings or rented structures would be converted as TG shelter-homes with the support of state Social Justice Department, she said.

"It a major cause of worry as they are denied admission in hostels or pushed out of rented houses only because they belong to a third gender", said Sreekala

She said the Mission conducted a state-wide survey recently to take a headcount of TGs as a prelude to launch Samanwaya, the continuing education programme. "Around 67.14 per cent of the persons surveyed were keen to enroll in the continuing education drive. But a majority of them could not join the programme as they failed to find out accommodation facilities to pursue the course," she said.

A number of transgenders had quit jobs in Kochi Metro Rail Ltd recently also due to the dearth of suitable housing and accommodation.

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TG activist Sheethal Shyam said despite awareness drives, third genders are still ostracised in society and cannot take up job offers or continue education due to lack of accommodation facility. "Shelter homes is our long pending demand before the government. We are happy that the Literacy Mission will provide the facility during the course period," Sheethal, also a member of the Kerala Transgender Justice Board, told PTI.

Financial woes

"We faced several difficulties in getting buildings. Private parties were reluctant to rent out the buildings when we say the purpose. We cannot choose any building around. Their safety is our responsibility," Sreekala said. A total of 145 TGs of the total 918 identified in the survey have so far enrolled for the 'Samanwaya' programme in the equivalency courses from fourth to 12th standards. A monthly scholarship of Rs 1000 would be given for the learners from class 4 to class 10, and Rs 1,250 for those pursue the class 12 equivalency.

While 28.53 percent of the surveyed had a monthly income between Rs 1,000 and Rs 5,000, 19.46 percent earned between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 a month. A total of 20.35 percent of TGs surveyed were unemployed, and over 30 per cent were engaged in some form of self-employment, it said. The survey also revealed that six out of 100 transgender persons were engaged in begging and eight out of 100 in prostitution.