Neighbours riled by land sop to transgenders

COIMBATORE: At a time when transgenders are breaking social stigma and excelling in various fields, the protest of Chinnavedampatti residents against allotment of land to transgenders in their locality has come as a stark reminder of the discrimination still faced by the marginalized community.
On July 8, more than 200 people had come together from Chinnavedampatti and surrounding areas and had asked the revenue officers to change the location of the 43 cents of land allotted to 29 transgenders.
The residents had said that they wanted the land to be made into a park. If at all it had to be allotted, they wanted it to be allotted to the poor families in Chinnavedampatti. One resident had said that they did not want to face problems in the future because of the land being allotted to transgenders.
Many transgenders in Coimbatore cite this as an example to show how stigma against them still remains. They said they were forced to live in slums and had to pay a rent which is almost double of what others had to pay. Many are harassed and asked for favours if they live alone.
Sangeetha, state president of the transgender welfare association said, "Though many of us have become successful, are talented and are earning a living for ourselves, people do not respect us. They are scared of us and are worried if we living near their homes, we might indulge in some other activities."
Kalki Subrmaniam, a transgender writer, poet and artist from Coimbatore, said when she went to Chennai after being rejected by her family, nobody was willing to rent her a home. "After several weeks, a differently abled person agreed to rent me a room located in his terrace," she said.
Amidst all this, there are a few people who have accepted transgenders and even want to employ them. Arun Balakrishnan, a fashion designer is one such person.
Arun, who is also an activist working for the welfare of transgenders, said whenever he goes out with his transgender friends, they are often teased and looked down upon. "People do not understand that they are also human beings," he said.
Ravi Kumar, former MLA of the VCK party, who helped set up the transgender welfare board in 2008, said, "There are no legal aspects that bar transgenders from owning land. Social stigma plays a big role in pulling them back. They are a minority number-wise, and hence have little or no voice in the society."
On a positive note, the revenue officers said they would not adhere to the demands of Chinnavedampatti residents. "Their protest is extremely unfair and there is nothing that they can do." The officers said that they had already allotted land to them in Chinnavedampatti and Madukkarai.
"We are hopeful that in a few years, the mindset will change," said Manoharan, the north zone tahsildar.