One year on, transgenders wait for social inclusion

Thanking the Supreme Court of India for recognising transsexuals and transgenders as a "third gender", members of the community on Wednesday marked one year of the "historic judgement".

They, however, said no efforts had been initiated to make them a part of the society.

"Today we are celebrating a year of the Supreme Court granting us our identity legally... But, the perspective needs to be changed at the state government level, the federal level," activist and celebrity transgender Lakshmi Narayan Tripathi told IANS.

Referring to the judgement passed on April 15, 2014, 36-year-old Tripathi said she has spend 35 years of her life illegally and has been a legal citizen since just a year.

Holding cards reading messages like "Hello people. We are people too", "Ladies and Gentlemen, we are here too", and "Man. Woman. Best of both", the members sang songs like "Hum honge kamyaab" (We shall overcome) and "Yeh hausla kaise jhuke" from the movie Dor.

Abhina Aher, who works with India HIV/AIDS Alliance told IANS that the basic demand is to give members of the community a chance to prove themselves.

"Most of us are thrown out of our houses by the age of 13 or 14. We are not considered mainstream, do not have jobs. If we can seek alms at traffic signals, why can't we be given a chance to man the traffic," Aher, 37, said.

As part of the celebrations, Lenskart, an online eyewear store, and the transgender and transsexual community from across the country gathered together and decided to pledge their eyes, en masse, as a thank you gesture to Justice A.K. Sikri and Justice K.S. Radhakrishnan who passed the judgement.

"Eyes do not discriminate; the perspective and perception of people do. Eye for an Eye campaign is a symbolic event aimed to reduce the stigma," Tripathi said.