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A new dawn: Parking fee plan for transgenders





A new dawn: Parking fee plan for transgenders

2021 has signalled a dawn of hope for the transgenders of Odisha. Donning a new role, 17 transgenders of TG Swikruti are collecting parking fees in the Capital City from January 21. They have been assigned the task on an experimental basis for two months. MyCityLinks interviewed a few of them and here’s what they had to say about the novel initiative which completed one month recently.

Sir, Madam, Bhai, Didi, etc., how would you like people to address you?

“My name is Ananya Sahoo and there is no way I would like to be called Sir or Bhai. I was born as a boy but have struggled all my teenage years to convince people that a woman has been trapped inside me. I like when people call me Madam or Didi. Besides, since I have been through various situations, I don’t mind being addressed using any pronouns.”

What do you think about your new job description? 

“I think everyone will agree that no one likes to beg. We like to be treated as equals. But earlier, we didn’t have any other way of earning. In such a situation, we would have never denied any kind of work offer. I am happy to be working for the government. But there are many others like me who are yet to get a job.

Did you have any future plans when you were young?

“I am still young (chuckles) and still striving to achieve my goals. I am currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Social Work. My classes are about to resume soon. I am attending online classes at BJB Autonomous College under the distance mode of education. Because of initiatives like these, I am sure transgenders will be able to sit with others and study with dignity in the future. We have a community where people of all castes, genders, and ages co-exist. I plan to get married to my boyfriend.” 

Talking to MCL, another transgender Gyanadarshi Nayak alias Sanu said, “During my adolescent years, I had a problem accepting the fact that I am a female and interested in men. I couldn’t realize how this was even possible. I was probably the only one like me in the whole community so I found no one who could understand the way I was feeling back then. Even my parents couldn’t accept me. So I had to leave them and come to Bhubaneswar to join the community. But here too, I faced a lot of issues. I decided to hone my communication skills and now I can speak Odia, Hindi, and English really well. I am working as a part-time waiter in a restaurant as well. In fact, my male colleagues here have never made me feel uncomfortable or stigmatized me for my gender.” 

Did you face any problem while collecting parking fees in the last one month?

“Problems are constant. People always have problems. The important thing is not to let the problems hurt you. It’s all our choice. About collecting parking fees, I think people are new to seeing us doing a job like this. So it is natural for them to behave abnormally. But it is wrong if someone is not willing to tolerate us. In general, I think the situation is gradually improving for us.”

Sanu further said, “Being self-dependent is the key to success. Begging is as much a crime as giving money to an able-bodied citizen. If there are more job opportunities for us then we wouldn’t be looked down upon. We would also want to become qualified enough to maybe even apply for civil services someday. Now that there are new policies coming up, I hope to see a happier tomorrow for transgenders.”

Author: Abhishek

Admirer of nature and everything that requires art to be produced. A laid-back writer and aspiring filmmaker who enjoys talking cinema.

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