COVID-19 pandemic leaves Kashmir’s transgenders in dire straits

Members of community are bereft of livelihood due to fewer weddings

With the past 14 months marred by the COVID-19 pandemic, the already marginalised transgender community is bereft of its livelihood in Kashmir valley and is hesitant to get vaccinated due to the fear of being jeered at in health centres designated for the other two genders. Ostracised by close relatives since she declared herself as belonging to the third gender, Mir Khushi, 18, is one of the rare transgenders who supports her ageing parents in Srinagar’s Noorbagh area. Her ailing parents, suffering from hypertension and diabetes, live in a rented accommodation. They live off earnings made by Khushi in the matchmaking business or singing during weddings. But, of late, the savings of Khushi have depleted in the absence of any fresh work. “We were living a happy life till the lockdown of August 5, 2019 [when the Centre revoked J&K’s special status] started. It was followed by prolonged spells of lockdown due to the fast-spreading coronavirus. There were times when I never fixed fares while hiring a three-wheeler in the city and happily gave extra money. But now I prefer to walk to see my friends and discuss how to make ends meet,” Khushi told The Hindu.