Kolhapur: A transgender person has been appointed as the corporator of the Hupari Municipal Corporation in the Kolhapur district, making them the first transgender corporator in India. In a special general meeting held on Friday, the ruling party Tararani Aghadi bestowed this honour upon the transgender person.
Tatoba Hande, was born and brought up in a transgender family and has done the traditional job of being a 'Jogwa' for most of their life. They entered the political fray in the year 2017 and contested the elections to be appointed as the councillor. Though they could not succeed back then, they managed to bag the position of a corporation this year.
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Several people in the district think highly of Hande and are extremely happy about their victory. Meanwhile, several local-level politicians have also expressed pride in having the first transgender corporator in the country from their district. Hande himself expressed joy in having scripted history by achieving this feat.
"The Indian society has progressed comparatively, but there's still stigma attached to our community. People somehow fail to understand that we too are normal people and need conventional sources to survive and make a living. I am so glad that I got this opportunity. I am thankful to each and everyone who helped me along the way and I hope this paves a way for other people like myself that belong to our community," said Tambe.
