Kashmir transgenders among hardest hit by lockdowns

The last two years have affected transgenders badly, leaving them dependent on others for their basic needs. Recently, a group of transgenders held a protest in Srinagar against the government for neglecting them.

Srinagar: Restrictions imposed after the amendment of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019 and the consequent lockdown in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic affected every section of the society in the Union Territory. However, the transgender community is among the worst affected during this time. The second wave of Covid that engulfed the country in April and May made it worse for the community.

Although the transgender community in Kashmiri instead of asking people for money or begging on the streets, they make a living by match-making or dancing at weddings. The last two years have affected their livelihood, leaving them dependent on others for basic needs. The glow on their faces, the layers of make-up and the loud laughter usually conceal the reality of their lives. But now with their means of livelihood drying up with every passing day, hopes of a decent living are fast fading.

Talking to ETV Bharat, the transgender community said that so far no government has done anything for them or their rights and if any concerns were raised at any time, it was limited to just announcements and documents. They said that even during the current pandemic situation, they were forgotten.

Dr Aijaz Ahmed Bandh, head of Sonzel, an NGO working for the welfare of the transgender community, told ETV Bharat that transgenders face many problems from their birth to their death and it is not possible for anybody to imagine the level of hardships that they go through. He said the Covid lockdowns have made life more difficult for them.

Recently, a group of transgenders held a protest in Srinagar against the government for neglecting them. Expressing their plight, they appealed to the government to solve the problems faced by them so that they can have two meals a day at their homes. Even though the Supreme Court ruled in 2014 that transgenders be identified as the third sex, in Jammu and Kashmir, they have not yet received that recognition. According to the 2011 census, the transgender community had almost 4000 members which could be more now.