‘My family tried to burn me’: LGBTQ Kashmiris suffer during COVID

Abuse and discrimination as the community faces a double whammy of a conservative society and continuous lockdowns.

Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir – For 36-year-old Sweety, being a transgender woman “is a curse”. Hailing from a remote village in Indian-administered Kashmir’s Budgam district, Sweety was in her early 20s when she realised she is transgender. Back then, espousing a transwoman’s life was not an easy decision in a conservative place. But being the youngest child of her parents and “the most loved one”, her gender did not invite much trouble initially.