Kashmir’s transgender population witnessing collapse, seeks help

Irfan Tramboo

SRINAGAR, May 28: With almost no income since 2019, Kashmir’s transgender community is facing a frightening situation with no help from the Government despite much-hyped announcements a few years ago.
Feeling vulnerable, the members of the community told Excelsior that they are facing problems on various front and with the imposition of lockdown, the situation has become even more difficult.
Khushi Mir, a makeup artist hailing from Srinagar said that though they have been facing problem for the last several years now, while as the situation has become tough with the imposition of lockdown as they are left with no source of income.
“I am a makeup artist and used to do a bit of dancing and singing as well, now it is all gone, no makeups are happening around; dancing and singing is done by the bands and the few options that were available for people like me are also gone now,” she said.
As per the estimates, more than 4000 transgenders are living in Kashmir with over 400 only in district Srinagar. Even though the Government had announced pension for them under an integrated social security scheme, but they said that just a few of them have been registered under the scheme.
In Srinagar, members of the transgender community live in areas like Dalgate, Habba Kadal, Bemina including several other areas. They also expressed their unhappiness with the Government, the district administration and the NGOs that are working on the ground.
Khushi, while making a hand-folded appeal to the people said that they are in a need of help and people who can help them, including the Government, must forward for their rescue.
The community is even dismayed over the approach of the locals living in their areas. They said that they never came to see them, “to check on us whether we have anything to eat or not.”
“Nobody has come to our help as if we are not humans; everyone knows that our traditional avenues of earning a livelihood are now almost zero, but no one cares; these NGOs, even if they help, that’s just for the photoshoots, publicity; they just make fun of our plight,” said Shabnum who is considered to be a Guru by her subordinates in the community.
Shabnum said that even though the Government has recognized them as a third gender, but at the same time, she said, it has forgotten to create employment avenues for them.
“Do you see us even orderlies in any department, no, because we are shooed away from distance; what is the fun of recognizing us,” emotionally charged Shabnum said.
The elders living in the community said that the Government should open up training centres for the members of the community where they will be trained for fashion, makeup and artistic skills so that they will be able to stand up on their own and start earning a livelihood.
“We are good at such things and now that traditional options are almost gone there is a need for training us on such lines; I am telling you ‘matchmaking’ is a gone thing now, that doesn’t even exist for us,” Khushi said.
The transgender community also demanded that the Government must open up a dedicated office in Kashmir or in Srinagar where they can go for the resolution of their problems.