As the mainstream society is becoming conscious about the third sex and their rights, the Congress-ruled Karnataka Government will soon release an exclusive transgender policy aimed at protecting the sexual minorities and also looking at the welfare of the transgender community. According to Karnataka Health Minister UT Khader, the policy is at its final stages and would be released soon after legal scrutiny. He assured the sexual minorities that the policy would help them by protecting their rights and would help fight stigma and discrimination.
Addressing the 3rd Transgender Habba (Festival) in Bengaluru on Thursday the Minister said Karnataka will soon conduct a transgender survey and the Health Department will take the lead as it will ensure gender minorities access social entitlements and will support them to exercise their constitutional rights. “I am also pushing for establishing the Transgender Board in the Cabinet,” he added.
The 3rd Transgender Habba, a ‘Big Push for Transgender Welfare initiatives in Karnataka’ was organised by Sangama, an NGO working for the protection of human rights of sexual minorities.
Sangama Founder Elavarthi Manohar said that despite all our collectivisation and struggles nothing much has changed in the lives of gender minorities. He appealed to the State Government to bring all the services under the Transgender Board instead of one department like Women and Child Welfare where the schemes for minorities like TGs get buried.
He exhorted the community to enter active politics and use the platform to empower the community.
Welcoming the decision of the State Government to establish a Transgender Board, Akram Pasha of Ashraya, a collective of Transgender working for the rights of them in Mysore said the survey of transgenders would largely benefit MTH (MSMs, Transgender and Hijra) communities in general. He also welcomed the decision of the Minister to release an exclusive policy aimed at MTH communities.