Jamshedpur, April 11: After a successful Pride parade by the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) on April 7, a city based organisation has launched a programme to spread greater awareness on third gender.
Basera Empowerment (OPC) Pvt Ltd, a city base organisation has initiated Sammaan, a dedicated sensitisation programme on third gender in society. A committee has been formed comprising corporate officials, academicians, NGO activists and third genders to initiate a sensitisation campaign. A press meet in this regard was organised at the Graduate School College for Women in Sakchi where director of Basera and chairperson of Smmaan Chandra Sharan along with others spoke about their plan and programmes.
“We have found that the third gender face a number of challenges in their day to life and their biggest question is their acceptance. So to create awareness in community, we have formed a committee who would spread awareness and disemminate proper information about the same among students,” said Sharan.
The core committee consists of SharatChandrandirector of Kerala Public School,; principals of Narbheram Hansraj English School Paramita Roy Chaudhury; principal of DBMS English School, RajaniShekhar; principal of Tarapore School Agrico, Amy Billimoria among academicians and principal of Graduate School and College and Women, Usha Shukla;. ShaliniKujur from Urban Services, Tata Steel and third genders Dolly and Razia and an LGBTQ activist Amarjeet Singh are also part of the
A member of the third gender said that the government should come out with awareness programs in educational institutes.
�But first the educators must be educated. In the curriculum for teacher�s training, a module on transgenders should be included. Teachers and administrative bodies in schools and universities need to be sensitized about the third gender. The government should make provisions that enables education for transgenders.�
He says job reservation for transgenders is not an issue as of now. “We need education, first. The literacy rate of transgenders is very low in the country. We face a lot of harassment from the police. There are no awareness programmes at police academics on how to treat transgenders. When all sections of society are sensitised to transgenders, the violence against the third community will be reduced greatly,� the member said.
