Trigger Warning: Transphobia, Violence
From discriminatory laws to hate crimes to everyday transphobic attitudes – trans and gender-diverse persons continue to face stigma, discrimination and violence from our transphobic, cis-heteropatriarchal society.
Worldwide, transphobic violence against trans and gender-diverse persons is on a rise. 350 transgender persons were killed across the globe in the year 2020, a figure that has risen since 2019’s total of 331.
In the year 2020 in India, trans and gender-diverse persons continued their fight against the oppressive Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 and the Trans Act Rules, released amidst a global pandemic.
Also read: In Posters: The Problem With The Revised Draft Trans Act Rules, 2020
Today, on the Transgender Day Of Remembrance, we remember and honour those who lost their courageous lives to transphobic violence this year.
1. Ekta Joshi
Ekta Joshi, a guru and leader of the Hijra community was shot dead outside her house in East Delhi back in September 2020 by two unidentified men. She had just stepped out of her car when the incident took place.
2. Sapna
In January 2020, Sapna was found murdered in her home in Moradabad. The police suspect the incident took place at least 2 days prior to her being found. Her partner Yameen had been detained for questioning. A report was filed against the unidentified assailant.
3. Kaushik Sunil Narayan Kar
In July 2020, Kaushik’s friend had filmed her wearing a sari and dancing without her knowledge. When she found out about the video, she requested them to delete it, which led to an altercation that ended up with her being stabbed to death. She was 17-year-old.
Also read: What Is Transgender Awareness Week? Let’s Learn Together
4. Sangeetha
Sangeetha, a 60-year-old trans activist, was found dead at her residence in Coimbatore in October 2020. Sangeetha had opened ‘Covai Trans Kitchen’, a restaurant entirely operated by transgender persons to help trans people who had lost their jobs due
to the pandemic.
Sources: Transrespect versus Transphobia‘s Geo-Tag Map for Transgender Day of Remembrance 2020 created by Suman Saurav, news reports from Forbes, Times of India, Outlook India, Hindustan Times, and Indian Express.
