A change is starting to be made. A new school in the Indian city of Kochi has opened for transgender adults. Sahaj International is the first school of its kind in India. The school will accept 10 students, who dropped out of the mainstream school system because of discrimination. All of the teachers at the school will also be transgender.
The school was founded by Kalki Subramaniam, a transgender activist. The city of Kerala in India where the school is located also offers free gender assignment surgeries at government hospitals.
The creation of Sahaj International is not the first time that India has tried to stop the discrimination that the two million transgender citizens of India face. In 2014, India’s Supreme Court officially recognized transgenderism. This means that transgender people are now granted the same jobs and education that all other citizens are given.
Safe spaces for the transgender community are slowly coming into existence. However, many transgender people are still shunned by their families, refused employment and become prostitutes as a result.
“The most important tool for the underprivileged, discriminated marginalized, oppressed community is education, because education brings light, knowledge, truth and confidence,” transgender activist, writer and actor Kalki Subramaniam said.
“The school aims at making transgenders eligible for taking decent jobs and living a dignified life,” transgender activist and head of the school Vijayraja Mallika told the BBC.
