Double marginalisation of trans people: Shunned by society, ignored by government Premium
The Hindu
Transgender community in Bengaluru faces challenges in education, employment, and entrepreneurship, demanding government support and welfare measures.
Back in 2021, during the peak of the second wave of COVID-19 in Bengaluru, two transgender women, Anandi and Aisha Kousar, had to sell their gold earrings to make a living. The two transwomen eventually bought a pushcart, stove, gas and basic cooking equipment to sell tea and snacks to workers at Hudson Circle, with the determination to take care of their three adopted children.
While Anandi and Aisha were able to start a small business with the small amount of gold they had, many others from the transgender community continue to face significant challenges in accessing basic education, employment opportunities, and support for entrepreneurship, as sustained attention and meaningful welfare measures for sexual minorities from the State government and local bodies remain limited.
The Siddaramaiah-led Karnataka government in March presented its Budget for 2025-26, which had no mention of allocation of funds for the sexual minorities in the State. Right after the Budget, at a press conference, members of the Movement for Gender and Sexual Pluralism (MGSP) voiced strong concerns over the continued marginalisation of gender and sexual minorities. Activists criticised the Chief Minister for “repeatedly overlooking” the needs of their community, despite several appeals for financial allocation and inclusive policy reforms.
Manohar Elavarthi, a representative of the movement, noted that they had submitted five key demands ahead of the Budget, aimed at enhancing opportunities and welfare for gender and sexual minorities. Their demands included the introduction of a dedicated welfare scheme for transgender individuals, increasing financial support for entrepreneurs from gender and sexual minority communities to ₹2 lakh from the existing ₹50,000, free sex reassignment surgeries, job training aligned with the 1% horizontal reservation which is provided in government jobs, and the creation of a separate government body to monitor and advance their welfare.
Expressing disappointment at the lack of response, Elavarathi questioned why a budget exceeding ₹4 lakh crore could not allocate something for upliftment of marginalised communities. As per the 2011 census, Karnataka had a transgender population of 20,266, which now, according to people from the community, may have doubled.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Budget for 2025-26 does not hold great promise either. The civic body has allocated ₹10 crore for the welfare of economically backward classes, that includes the transgender community.
The budget says the BBMP will provide financial assistance to entrepreneurs by bearing 50% of the project cost or a maximum of ₹ 2 lakh for only 500 eligible candidates from all backward classes. There are 9,182 transgender individuals residing in Bengaluru as of December 2022, according to official records from the Bengaluru Urban District Commissioner.