The forgotten gender: Sexual minorities, especially transgenders, are barely surviving

Shruthi, who belongs to the third gender, would beg for a living. It’s been over a year since she earned anything. “There are only two professions that most people like me do - begging or sex work. Wi

Shruthi, who belongs to the third gender, would beg for a living. It’s been over a year since she earned anything. “There are only two professions that most people like me do - begging or sex work. With the onset of the pandemic and related restrictions, both are ruled out. We can barely afford to pay rent. We haven’t paid our electricity bill for three months. It's too embarrassing to tell. Collectioney jeevana, but we aren’t even able to do that now,” she said, the dejection evident. Among the many categories of people for whom the pandemic has been more than just a rude shock, daily life for those belonging to sexual minorities, especially transgenders, has been reduced to a battle for survival. With little or no support from family or friends, they are dependent on each other and some organisations working for their rights to get the bare minimum. Like Ms. Shruthi points out, she is diabetic and belongs to the risk category. She tries her best to not step out because she is sure she won’t be able to take on COVID-19 if she is infected. “The few times we desperately ventured out to seek alms, no one wanted to see us. They would curse us. I don’t want to take the risk either. If not for the donations, it would be difficult to survive.”