Mumbai: As the campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections in Mumbai intensifies, members of the transgender community are getting busier with canvassing for candidates from their community. The transgender community of Asalpha in Mumbai North East constituency feels that they have always been overlooked.
There are more than 100 transgenders in the constituency who live together as a community. Many of them have immigrated to Mumbai from different parts of the country such as Konkan, Kerala and Goa and come from different communities like Jogata, Devadasi, Aradhi and Kinnar, yet they live together as they believe in the strength of togetherness.
Most of them don’t have a regular job to sustain themselves and therefore, begging remains the only means of sustenance for them.
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They believe the makers of the Constitution did not think about them and no matter which party came to power, their demands were never taken seriously. They expressed their disappointment as a community and feel cheated. They think now is the time for them to stand up and assert their rights after they have been discriminated all these years, with no job openings for them.
They feel even the recently passed Transgender Bill has failed to ensure their rights. If someone from their community goes to the police station to lodge a complaint, chances are they will not be taken seriously and will be body-shamed and humiliated.
They feel that the government has failed to fulfill their basic needs. “We don’t have clean water to drink, there is no proper healthcare facility for us, and sanitation seems to be a luxury,” says a member of the community.
Jatin Maharaj (44) is a transgender candidate from the Mumbai North East constituency. He feels that his people have utmost faith in him, which drives him to stand for his people and fight for their rights in the elections. “We don’t have money for the campaigns, but we have the faith and trust of our people, and that’s more than enough,” says Maharaj.
The supporters are going door to door regularly with pamphlets and posters to raise awareness among the voters. Coming from the third gender, his vision is not restricted to only the people of his community as he promises to raise his voice for everyone who feels discriminated.
