The Mooknayak talked to Kalki Subramanium — who uses the pronoun she/her and is a member of the National Council of Trans Persons, which was constituted by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in India.
Agreeing with the notice, she responded, “Many people from the transgender community do not associate themselves with the term ‘non-binary’ because a lot of our spaces are being occupied by them.”
She said the transgender community is losing spaces and turning out to be a group of poor, beggars and economically and socially deprived.
“So, there is a lot of displeasure when it comes to the transgender term being used interchangeably with ‘non-binary’,” she explained.
An activist, who wishes to remain anonymous, suggested one option, in such cases, is to add a fourth option for transgenders in such forms.
“One needs to understand that gender minorities are a diverse group of people. Nupis in Manipur, Kothis in the South, among others, are the transgender communities. Shiv Shakti, Mangal Mukhis and other such communities do not find a mention in the transgenders protection law, but it does not mean they do not exist,” said the activist.
