By Express News Service CHENNAI: Several transpersons in the State are struggling to make ends meet since the lockdown began. Many of them who seek alms or engage in sex work to make a living, have been running short of resources in the last few days. Even though provision stores have opened, it has been difficult to gather essentials, say activists. “It is not a matter of finding provision, it is a matter of money,” says Jaya of the NGO Sahodaran. She said that several trusts and celebrities in Chennai have come forward to provide support and aid for people from the community, however, fears that it may not be enough to get through the lock down. “Many members of the community continue to depend on the society and people for money,” she said. The problems are worse for transpersons who are HIV positive, says Grace Banu, a transgender rights activist. “Those with HIV can only get their medicines in certain government hospitals. In cities, people somehow find transport to get to these hospitals. But HIV patients in rural areas are finding it impossible to get their medicines,” she said. She said that the government should redistribute the medicines among the sub-centres as well, making it easier for patients to access it. “Those with HIV, already have a compromised immunity. It is also not safe for them to visit the main government hospital with ARP centres as COVID- 19 patients are also being treated there,” says Grace. The National Institute of Social Defence (NISD), for example, has promised to provide immediate relief funds for trans and intersex persons. However, in order to avail the benefits, one may need Aadhaar, ration card and other documents. This might be problematic as many transpersons have their birth name and gender in some documents and their new identity in recent ID proofs.

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