Ondede, an organisation advocating the rights of sexual minorities, children, and women, on January 10, launched the “Bhaya Bidi, Preeti Maadi” (shed fear, spread love) campaign to raise awareness and foster acceptance of gender and sexual minorities in Karnataka.
The campaign will focus on sensitisation and addressing social exclusion faced by LGBTQ+ communities in the state.
Soumya A, a sexual minority rights activist, spoke about Ondede’s journey and the discrimination the organisation faced in its early years. She said Ondede was built “with no support”, recalling how the group was forced to vacate rented office spaces eight times due to prejudice against transgender persons. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she added, members were denied access to building lifts and had to carry materials themselves despite health challenges. The organisation continued its work by storing materials in members’ homes.
Soumya noted that while Bengaluru showed solidarity, districts like Raichur were openly hostile to the presence of transgender persons. “Despite decades of legal struggle, social fear and shame, nothing much has meaningfully changed in the lives of transgender persons,” she said. She referred to key legal milestones, the Delhi High Court’s 2009 reading down of Section 377 and the Supreme Court’s 2014 recognition of transgender persons as equal citizens, but stressed that “true equality will only be possible when society moves beyond fear and stigma.”
Musthafa Husain, a member of the Karnataka Public Service Commission, assured the community of his support, saying societal acceptance may take time but urged the community to “create its own path and remain hopeful.” He added that meaningful change “begins at home” and expressed optimism that society would eventually embrace transgender persons.
Speakers also highlighted the achievements of transgender trailblazers, including Prithika Yashini, India’s first transgender woman sub-inspector in Tamil Nadu; Manvi Madhu Kashyap, the first transgender woman sub-inspector in Bihar police; and Aishwarya Rutupurna Pradhan, the first transgender civil servant from Odisha.
Transgender activist Akkai Padmashali, who is also Advisory Member of the Supreme Court Committee said, “This is a crucial need to eradicate social stigma and social discrimination against Intersex Transgender and sexual minorities. This campaign shall go around India to access respect, equality, peace and social justice under the constitution of morality.”