Transgender people happy to vote with their real identity: Kerala Polls
- | Monday | 5th April, 2021
Though she has been in Thiruvananthapuram for a year, Covid-19 has rendered her jobless.
“Earlier, we never wanted to go outside even during the election time fearing the prying eyes and abusive words of others. Almost everybody looked at us like a different and comic creature. But the situation has changed now. This time, I have confidence and courage to go to the polling station and cast my vote for the first time in the identity as a transgender,” said Kavya Thengamam, a voter from the Adoor assembly constituency in Pathanamthitta.
As per the voters’ list, the district has a total of 10,54,100 voters of which seven are transgenders. “Though I had cast my vote in earlier assembly elections too, this assembly poll is special to me. It is the first time I am going to cast my vote with the election ID card in which my gender is mentioned as transgender,” she said.
Though she has been in Thiruvananthapuram for a year, Covid-19 has rendered her jobless. Earlier, every transgender feared to reveal their real identity. But now they have election ID cards mentioning gender as transgender. This is a symbol of acceptance in the.
Thirty-year-old Nakshathra V Kurup, another transgender voter is also staying in Thiruvananthapuram. “I have packed my bags and am set to go to my village to cast my vote. I am thrilled as I will cast with my real identity, transgender. When I revealed my identity for the first time, I faced several issues from my society except for my parents. But now people and authorities understand our lives,” Nakshathra.
Sunilkumar K, the father of transgender voter Anu S Kumar in Pathanamthitta, said he is staying away from their ancestral house with his daughter, who has become a transman now. “Relatives and local people were not ready to accept my child’s identity. This is his first assembly poll and we will go together and cast our votes,” said Sunil.
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