LGBT Rights in Tamil Nadu Part 2

(இதன் தமிழ் வடிவத்திற்கு இங்கே சொடுக்கவும்)

LGBT rights in Tamil Nadu

The Madras High Court’s direction

• Glossary of terms - The Madras High Court had directed the government to come up with a list of terms to address the community in a dignified manner.

Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Rules

• As regards the rules, the draft rules had been received from the Director of Social Welfare and it requires scrutiny and compliance of the Central Act, 2019.
• It also requires the approval of the Law department, before the circulation of the same to the Chief Minister.

Transgender Policy

• Instructions had been issued to the Transgender Welfare Board secretary to prepare an exclusive policy for such persons.
• The policy will be made in consultation with stake-holders concerned, including the officials of State Planning Commission.

The glossary

• The glossary of terms was published in the Tamil Nadu government gazette of the Social Welfare and Women Empowerment department.
• It is about how to correctly describe members of the LGBTQIA+ community in the media.
• It would have a statutory backing.
• Whenever the LGBTQIA+ community is to be addressed by any forum, it is mandatory to describe them only by using the terms that have been mentioned in the gazette.

What does this move signify

• The Supreme Court in 2018 scrapped Section 377 of IPC that criminalizes same-sex relations.
• But members of the LGBTQIA+ community continue to face widespread discrimination in the country.

Dignity and respect

• This attempt is being made to address persons belonging to LGBTQIA+ community with more dignity and respect.

Inclusion

• The persons belonging to LGBTQIA+ community have been sidelined from the main stream of the society.
• It is high time that top priority is given to implement the policy and rules.

Reflection of diversity

• The glossary reflects the diversity of the community.

Upliftment of the community

• It also aids in the upliftment of persons belonging to LGBTQIA+ community.

Serves as a model

• The glossary published by the Tamil Nadu government will go to all parts of the world where Tamil is spoken.

Notable achievements of Third Gender

• 30-year-old transgender activist Grace Banu has been conferred the first ever ‘Best Third Gender’ award in the year 2021 by the Tamil Nadu government for her services rendered towards the welfare of the society.

• She was honored at the Independence Day event held in Chennai.

• The award is organized by the Social Welfare and Women Empowerment Department.
• It has been introduced for the first time by the government of Tamil Nadu to recognise transgenders and their contributions to the society.
• Hailing from Thoothukudi, Banu had to leave her family due to her gender awareness as a woman and quit job as an IT professional due to undesirable experiences.
• However, her hardships and hard work turned Banu to a role model to many of the transgender achievers including Prithika Yashini, India’s first sub-inspector of police.

• She has bagged several awards in the state for ensuring education and employment rights to transgenders.
• Chief Minister MK Stalin presented 53-year-old Marlima Muralitharan of Villupuram with the Best Transgender Award 2022.
• A cash prize of Rs 1 lakh is given out as part of the award.

• Marlima of Gingee received the award from the Social Welfare and Women Empowerment department for her exceptional work for the upliftment of the third gender over the past 25 years.

• She completed her under graduation in Civil Engineering in 1995.
• She started her career when transgenders were struggling to get recognition.
• She is running an office in Gingee, where we do construction-relation business.

• Till date, she helped 70 transgenders, who did not want to beg or involve in the flesh trade."
• she arranged fruit juice shops, cows, goats and hens for eight transpersons by spending from her own pocket.
• She also arranged jobs for many, and helped three transpersons from Gingee, Kandachipuram and Tiruvannamalai, construct their own house, by giving plans for free and also arranged funds for the construction.

• B Aishwarya (47) from Vellore received the ‘Best Transgender Award 2023’ from Chief Minister MK Stalin in recognition of her meritorious service to the transgender community.
• Stalin presented her a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh at an event held in the state secretariat on behalf of the Department of Social Welfare and Women’s Rights at Stalin’s Secretariat.

• B Aishwarya has been serving as a role model for the transgender community.
• She has been creating awareness through her rural and theater arts for the betterment of transgender people for the past 22 years.

• Tamil Nadu government has been giving out the Best Transgender Award since 2021 to honor a transgender person who has served the welfare of transgender people outstandingly and is a role model among them.
• A cheque of Rs 1 lakh and a certificate of appreciation are presented to the transgender person selected for the award.

Notable personalities of Third Gender Community

• C. Devi – first transgender woman in Tamil Nadu to contest in the Assembly elections
• K. Gunavathi – first transgender nurse in Tamil Nadu

• Karpaga – transgender actor
• Maya Jafer – transgender activist and doctor
• Narthaki Nataraj – first transgender woman to receive the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.
• The first transgender person to be awarded Padma Shri - India's fourth-highest civilian award.
• Padmini Prakash – first transgender news reader
• A. Revathi – transgender writer and activist
• Malini Jeevarathnam- An award-winning queer filmmaker, producer, actor, show host and activist.
• Gopi Shankar Madurai – youngest candidate in the 2016 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election.
• The first openly intersex and genderqueer person to run for public office.
• Living Smile Vidya – Tamil writer, artist and actor

• Kalki Subramaniam –transgender entrepreneur and founder of the Sahodari Foundation.
• Grace Banu – first transgender person to be admitted to an engineering college in the state of Tamil Nadu
• Esther Bharathi – first transgender pastor
• Dr. Sudha – first transgender person to receive an honorary degree in 2014
• S. Swapna – first transgender Indian Administrative Service aspirant.
• Rose Venkatesan – first transgender woman TV host in Tamil Nadu.
• K. Prithika Yashini – first transgender woman sub-inspector of the Tamil Nadu police.
• Dr. Meena Kandasamy – Bisexual poet, fiction writer, translator and activist.

• Various LGBT organisations have been established over the years in Tamil Nadu.
• These associations raise awareness of LGBT people, offer helplines to both LGBT people and family and friends, and campaign for sensitization concerning education and workplace policies, among others.
• There are many people who belongs to LGBTQ+ community succeeded in many fields such as Transgender activist, contest in assembly elections, educational, medical, news reader, lawyer, police, writer and etc.

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