Kolkata’s transgender community marks 10 years of SC's landmark verdict recognising their rights
Transgenders in Kolkata Monday marked the 10th anniversary of the Supreme Court verdict that provided legal recognition to members of the community.
The community resolved to continue their efforts to have April 15 recognised as the National Transgender Day.
“People celebrate birth anniversaries, they celebrate Women’s Day, Children’s Day, they celebrate certain days as Durga Puja. So, days have their significance and we would like to have April 15 formally included in the calendar as National Transgender Day," Ranjita Sinha, director of the Association of Transgender/Hijra, and the face of the community in Kolkata, told The Hindu.
"You can say this is our Independence Day, the day we were reborn and when we got recognition as citizens of this country,” Sinha said.
In a landmark judgement, the Supreme Court on April 15, 2014, ruled that the transgender community (the Third Gender as they are referred to) should be granted all facilities like any other citizen and should be treated as a socially and economically backward class.
The ruling paved the way for the community to get voter IDs, passports, driving licence and job reservations besides educational quotas.