For the Millennium Fellowship Programme, I have collaborated with the Centre for Justice Law and Society (CJLS), O.P. Jindal Global University, to work on transgender rights. The Transgender Rights Project is a comprehensive initiative aimed at consolidating the rights of the transgender community in the form of a handbook. This initiative encompasses various facets of their rights, including their right to identification, healthcare, education, employment, housing, and protection against violence. The project is headed by Prof. Dipika Jain and Prof. Natasha Aggarwal, and supervised by Mx. Muskan Manish Tibrewala and Mx. Feroza Rastom Mody of the Centre for Justice, Law, and Society, who are in the process of creating the Handbook through consultation with the transgender community.
As part of the Millennium Fellowship Programme, I have collaborated with CJLS to address the frequently asked questions (FAQs) posed by individuals within the transgender community. These FAQs are intended to clarify any confusion surrounding their rights and will be compiled into a mini handbook consisting of 7 topics - (I) Introduction (2) Certificate of identity (iii) Healthcare (iv) Education (v) Employment (vi) Housing and (vii) Redressal against violence. The mini handbook, consisting of the FAQs, is a quick reference guide, making legal information more accessible to a broader audience. Looking ahead, the project envisions translating these FAQs into seven different languages, including Assamese, Telugu, Gondi, Hindi, Kannada, Meitei, and Tamil. This multilingual approach is a strategic move to break down the language barriers that transgender people may face when seeking information about their rights. By providing information in regional languages, the project aims to ensure that every transgender person in India can access their rights without impediment. The handbook's user-friendly format is designed to empower the transgender community by providing a clear understanding of their legal rights. Therefore, this approach ensures that the handbook is not only legally accurate but also attuned to the practical realities of the transgender community. The creation of the FAQs was supervised and mentored by Prof. Dipika Jain, Prof. Natasha Aggarwal, Mx. Muskan Manish Tibrewala and Mx. Feroza Rastom Mody.
The mini handbook, with its diverse language translations, is poised to become an invaluable tool for the entire transgender community in India. The translation efforts are not merely linguistic; they are a commitment to inclusivity, recognising that language should not be a barrier preventing transgender individuals from understanding and asserting their rights. The overarching goal of this project is to raise awareness among transgender people throughout India about their rights, fostering a sense of empowerment and agency. By eliminating language barriers and delivering information in a format that is easy to comprehend, the project aims to bridge the gap between legal frameworks and the lived experiences of transgender persons.
Thus, through collaboration, consultation, and strategic initiatives, the project strives to contribute significantly to the legal empowerment of the transgender community in India. It is not just a legal initiative; it is a social endeavour to ensure that the rights of transgender individuals are not only recognised on paper but actively upheld in their daily lives.