“On my first day of work at High Court, the judge Venkateshappa V, under whom I was working, called all the court staff and told them to treat me equally and see me just like any other person. He even told them that he would send them a notice if he got to know that I was being ill-treated,” recalled Madhu, a 25-year-old transgender woman.
She is among those transgender persons who have availed the 1% reservation given to them in government jobs. Karnataka was the first State in the country to notify a 1% reservation in government jobs for transgender persons, in 2021. Two years down the lane, transgenders who have availed themselves of these jobs are happy with the progressive work environment at government offices while the majority of third gender persons still struggle to apply or secure these jobs.
Madhu now works as an attender under another judge at Chikkanayakanahalli in Tumakuru. She spoke about how she was never laughed at or given excess work on purpose in any workspace. She was always assured that her transgender identity would not be highlighted to the public without any reason or her consent. She tells how work is more important to the public and her employer than her gender.
Shravya, another 24-year-old transwoman also said that government officials and higher officers respected transgenders while a few others at the office were simply unaware. Although she used to earn her living as a sex worker before, she later relocated to Bangalore, obtained a medical card and transgender certificate with community assistance, and applied for government jobs in Madikeri and Karwar.
However, she cannot help but remember that before securing her current job, she had to face discrimination and humiliation during the medical check-up. Despite transgender friendly work atmospheres, these persons have had to encounter some uncomfortable experiences while obtaining these jobs.
Madhu recollected an instance where she had gone to the consumer court in Bengaluru to apply for a D-group job and when she mentioned her gender (as transgender) in the application, the staff members were shocked and surprised.
Such hurdles among other things have kept transgender persons from trying to get the reserved jobs. ”Despite passing matriculation and acquiring skills of data entries and communicating in English, many people in the community lack adequate job opportunities.” said Nisha Gulur, Program Director of GSM (Gender and Sexual Minority division), Sangama.
Elaborating on the issue, she said, “Many people in the community discontinue their education in eighth and ninth standards because of the discrimination faced by them at educational institutions. Moreover, the bureaucratic procedural mandates, attestation of Adhaar cards, and age verification are barriers for our people.”
Meanwhile, the government authorities’ plan of action and discourse, which otherwise is tardy, needs to be time-bound, robust, and community-friendly, activists opine. There is less than half of the percentage implementation the High Court sanctioned for the State, they said.
“0.26-0.50% of transgenders are working in government sectors in the state of Karnataka. There are 14 out of the 30 districts which have an inclusion of the transgender community in level D work,” cited Rakshitha T.G, Board member of ONDEDE Organization.
She demanded policy enaction at every level and department of the government and requiring district-level welfare boards.
B.T Venkatesh, Lawyer for the petition of horizontal reservation, emphasized the importance of educated members in the community. “Their education is stalled by the time their sexuality is accepted and pronounced, while education remains at a standstill,” he said. These occurrences are prominent in rural spaces where orthodoxy is inculcated in every individual. Thus, this horizontal reservation acts as a space, a framework that must be pushed further and pressurized by the community onto the government to bear its fruit, he added.
