“Transgender women are being discriminated against based on the outfits they wear to provide them the benefits of the Shakti scheme,” noted members of the Karnataka Rajya Lingatva Mattu Laingikate Alpa Sankhyata Okkoota - Coalition for Convergence - a Statewide federation of sexual minorities.
“Transgender members can benefit from Shakti scheme only if they wear a sari. Those who wear shirts and trousers are being excluded by some conductors on buses,” said Kavitha Krishnamurthy, a member of the coalition from Kolar.
She emphasised: “The public and the authorities should not judge us by our attire. A person’s identity has nothing to do with an outfit.”
The coalition which operates under the umbrella organisation Ondede celebrated its one-year anniversary on Wednesday
The organisation has conducted campaigns to support and bring justice to backward class members within sexual minorities, assisting them in obtaining basic human rights from the government and society.
The members also reported that the reach of government schemes for sexual minority communities has failed to reach to a large extent.
Maya S.R. Nayak, another member from Yadgir, said that the subsidies allotted for sexual minority groups are not reaching the community thoroughly.
“We have requested Laxmi Hebbalkar (Minister of Child and Women Development) to address this issue.”
The members also discussed the inter-sex community’s fight for recognition and inclusion under the sexual minority group among other things.
