According to Maya Thakur, the transgender icon of the Himachal Pradesh State Election Commission, she was forced to leave school after class IX due to abuse by students and teachers’ unwillingness to intervene.
Originally from the Kothi village in the Kunihar area of the Solan district, which is part of the Shimla parliamentary constituency, Ms. Thakur claimed that things had gotten so bad that the locals were pressuring her family to “throw her out”.
Out of the 35 people in the state who identify as third gender, she was possibly the only transgender person with the confidence to speak up.
“When I used to tell my family members about the ill-treatment and discrimination in the school to an extent that I was not allowed to use the toilet, they thought I was making excuses to skip the school. Given a chance, I would like to resume my education,” she said lamenting that she faced discrimination at “every step in life”.
“Education, jobs and ending discrimination against transgenders are our main issues. There are transgenders who wish to study, become teachers, lawyers, join the police and excel in other spheres of life but when we apply for jobs, the response is ‘will tell you if there is any scheme for you’.
“I was born as a male but identified myself as a woman. My identity is that of a transgender woman, we are unisex and not eunuchs”, she told Press Trust of India, adding that they are not accepted in society as people consider them eunuchs and maintain distance.
South India still has a better situation than the north, she said, and more needs to be done to raise awareness of the need for transgender people to be accepted in society and have the freedom to live the lives they choose. She also accused the police of ignoring their complaints about arrogance.
Mr. Thakur, who previously worked for an NGO in Delhi, is an advocate for including lessons on transgender issues in school curricula modeled after those in Canada, which guarantee students the right to an environment free from harassment and discrimination and the use of restrooms appropriate to their gender identity.
“The eunuch culture of extorting money by threatening or cursing should be stopped,” she said. Besides, the practice of eunuchs taking away transgenders or harassing them, and people indulging in such acts should attract legal action, she added.
