Maina* reached Kerala 15 years ago, following a migration trend from her village in Assam. She had heard that Kerala was a progressive state offering good daily wages. Her goal was to work in a plywood factory, live freely, and earn a decent income through her hard work.
“For about two months after arriving, I worked in a plywood factory. At the time, I hadn’t come out as a trans woman, but my femininity made me a target for abuse and harassment. Eventually, they asked me not to return to work. I tried various other jobs, but no one accepted me. In the end, I was forced into sex work and begging on trains,” she said.
The 36-year-old lives in a one-room, tin-roofed house along with 28-year-old Pinky, also a migrant from Assam. This single room is where they cook, sleep, and spend time with friends. Pinky has been in Kerala for just three years, while Maina has been here for 15, both working as sex workers in Perumbavoor and Aluva.
The two women walk about a kilometer to reach the main road, where they catch an auto to nearby streets. Here, sex workers occupy corners, where men approach on two-wheelers, auto rickshaws, and in small cars.
“Who knows what tonight will bring? Some days we earn well; other days, it’s beatings and abuse,” Maina said.
“Some nights, local residents approach us with the promise of payment, but instead, they take us to deserted places and beat us up, saying this work isn’t allowed here,” Maina said.
According to members of the community, there are around 100 transgender immigrants in Ernakulam district, mainly from Assam. Neither the government nor the district administration has exact data to confirm this.
These women have moved into the district over the last 15 years in search of freedom and opportunities. However, what they found in “trans friendly” Kerala was the violence that transgender women across India face, including from the police. Firstly, the government's trans protection schemes do not cover immigrants. Therefore many migrant trans women do sex work or begging on night trains leaving from Ernakulam. Several times, the railway police on these trains have assaulted them, resulting in severe physical injuries, they alleged. They also alleged that they have been brutally assaulted by local residents and the local police, too. Almost all of the migrant trans women TNM met bear injuries and wounds from these physical assaults.
What makes their situation worse is xenophobia, anti sex work sentiments, and harmful stereotypes of trans women among local residents — including transgender women from Kerala. So while a majority of transgender women who are from Kerala are organised either under the traditional Jamaath system or with the help of NGOs, most migrants are left out of these networks as well, and have to deal with police atrocities by themselves.
TNM visited at least 50 migrant trans women living in small communities across Ernakulam district. Only one of them said she is part of the Jamaath — a socio-cultural system of organising with a strict hierarchy that many transgender women across India follow. The system is called by different names in different parts of the country, including Dera, Gharana, and Jamaath, and exists as a result of the exclusion that transgender women face in India.
When TNM visited Nisa, Sundari, and Ashitha in Kandanthara, Perumbavoor, they were fast asleep, having returned to their rooms around 5 am. Opening her door in a drowsy state, Nisa said, “We went as far as Palakkad and got back only at 5 am.”
They survive by begging and sometimes doing sex work on trains, traveling on routes heading as far north as Palakkad or Coimbatore, and south to Chengannur or Thiruvalla. They take the night trains, working through the night before returning home at dawn.
Up until last week, around 20 transgender individuals lived in Kandanthara along with Sundari and Nisa, but many were recently evicted by the building owner, and now the remaining three have also been asked to leave. It was because they had a fight in the locality and the house owner believed that it was because of the trans persons living there. Nisa is uncertain where to go next.
“Last month, the railway police caught three of us from Chengannur and beat us badly with their lathis. They took the money I had saved for rent and even made us pay more through Google Pay,” Diya, a trans woman from Kokrajhar said. “A week after being beaten by police with lathis, I was standing near Perumbavoor bus stand at night. Some men came in a car, took me along, and after a while, they started attacking me with blades.”
“After that attack, I couldn’t work for 15 days and nearly starved,” Diya added.
Police brutality is a regular occurrence, said Ashida. “During their patrols, the police chase us like dogs, beating us with lathis. None of us here is without lathi marks on our hands and back,” she said, “So when civilians beat us up or rob us, how can we go to the same police who assault us?”
She recalled how, two weeks ago, the Perumbavoor police beat her. “I had just reached the road when the police jeep arrived. Everyone else ran. I tried to run, but my sandals twisted, and I couldn’t move fast enough. I was beaten badly. I came home crying and spent the whole night in pain. For the next two days, I couldn’t go to work. Our lives hang between fear and the struggle to survive,” she said.
A 2015 study conducted by a team from the National Institute of Epidemiology, which surveyed 60,000 transgender people across 17 states, including Kerala, revealed significant findings. Though the study primarily focused on mapping and estimating the population of trans women, the researchers highlighted to the media that transgender individuals experience the most violence at the hands of the police and law enforcement authorities.
According to 2011 census data 0.53% of India’s population are identified as transgender people. But activists say that crimes against them are rarely recorded.
In 2020, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) reported only 236 transgender crime victims. The 2022 report recorded just nine transgender murder victims and no other crimes against them were recorded. Activist George Mathew, who works with immigrant communities in central Kerala, told TNM he is aware of migrant trans individuals in Perumbavoor facing physical and sexual assaults on a daily basis, despite no cases being registered so far. “Now, imagine this happening across the country everyday, yet going unrecorded. This clearly indicates that the crime statistics are far from accurate," he said.
The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act 2019, intended to safeguard the rights of transgender persons, is seldom enforced. According to NCRB data, no Indian state or Union Territory, except Tamil Nadu, has registered cases under the Act in 2020 and 2022. Even Tamil Nadu recorded just one case each year. In 2021, a total of seven cases were registered under the Act across West Bengal, Assam, and Kerala.
Landlords in Edathala, in Aluva, are concerned some of their neighbours are renting out houses to migrant trans women. Some residents here, themselves returnees from the Gulf, say that the trans women are "unsettling" for them to see in the neighbourhood.
But it's the xenophobia from their own sisters that stings the most, the migrants said. When TNM reached out to trans activists in Kerala, many echoed sentiments that “outsiders cannot be trusted”.
“It was the migrant trans community that introduced begging in Kerala. Before they arrived, there was no begging in trains…” said a prominent transgender activist from Kerala who wished to remain anonymous. “The police in Kerala typically do not assault people without reason. However, there have been several cases where members of the migrant trans community were involved in theft on trains or assaulted locals for money. In such instances, the police take action,” she said.
Another Kerala-based trans woman activist told TNM that it is often the migrant trans community who initiate fights in the streets at night. “Even if they engage in sex work, the police won’t attack them unless the dealings lead to fights. Only then do the police take action. It is a bit dangerous to deal with the migrant trans community,” she said, also requesting anonymity.
However, no authoritative sources or reports substantiate these claims, and trans women from other parts of the country face additional discrimination when it comes to finding shelter, livelihoods, or even support from peers.
While police violence is a truth for transgender women across demographics, Maina observed that while the police are sometimes friendly with sex workers who are from Kerala, they never show any courtesy to immigrants.
George Mathew, who has been helping the migrant trans community for some time, said they are constantly excluded by the local trans groups. “Instead, they form small groups, each led by a Guru with two or three others under her. The Guru often doesn’t work herself; her disciples pay her a share of their earnings. In the case of migrants, the Gurus are also migrants, making them all vulnerable and subject to severe xenophobia,” he explained.
“They need to be organised, and local organisations should take the initiative to incorporate migrants. The government should implement special measures to include migrant trans communities in their policies. Only then can the xenophobic attacks they face be addressed. Police assault them because they know that no one will question their actions or even learn about them,” he added.
He also pointed out that any assault on local trans communities is questioned, or at the very least, discussed by organisations. “It’s not that local trans communities face no trouble at all, but attacks on them are not as rampant as those on migrants. When migrant trans communities are assaulted, there are no protests, and it rarely makes the news,” he said.
When trans, intersex, and genderqueer persons are abandoned by their parents and society, they find refuge in the traditional chosen family system. Each region of India has its own variant of such a system and they may be known by various names, such as Dera, Gharana, or Jamaath, but largely, they function along similar lines. An older, senior trans woman called guru or nayak or or mother takes on ‘daughters’ or chelas, younger trans women.
Gurus or naiks act as parental figures to their chelas (disciples), but they often control their work, earnings, and personal relationships.
“The system offers some social and economic support, but it also comes with several challenges, such as restrictions on personal freedom, welfare, and rights. It imposes limitations on employment, relationships, and lifestyle choices — reflecting a patriarchal structure within the trans community,” said Sheetal Shyam, a well known trans activist.
The disciples are required to share a portion of their income with Jamaath leaders and may be compelled to stay within the Jamaath structure even though they may wish to leave.
According to Sheethal, the Jamaath is not very prevalent in Kerala, though some still follow it. “Why does the trans community have to rely on these alternative systems? Because our society and government have failed them. When existing systems — family, friends, and the government — exclude the trans community, these alternatives offer solace and a reason to keep going,” she said.
Sana is the only immigrant trans woman TNM spoke to who is part of the Kerala Jamaath. She is also the only migrant trans woman who denied police violence. “I have a mother. Now, I am a Guru and have a few people in my group,” she said.
The existing discrimination and hierarchies within trans communities are also working against the migrants — specifically, the problematic concept of “real” vs “fake” trans women. Many transgender persons refuse to accept those who have not yet undergone gender affirmation surgeries as “genuine” trans persons. And this sentiment is prevalent among even those in law enforcement. “Some are men dressing up as transgender women. They engage in theft, assault people, and get involved in various criminal activities. The police don’t assault them; we simply ask them to leave public places,” one civil police officer from Aluva said.
The right to self identify as transgender, and to choose any gender identity, was granted by the Supreme Court in its NALSA vs Union of India verdict in 2014. The apex court also issued directives to the government to encode the right in law and protect the rights of transgender persons against discrimination and violence.
Chapter lll of the Transgender (Protection of Rights) Act says, “A transgender person shall have a right to be recognised as such, in accordance with the provisions of this Act. A person recognised as transgender under sub-section (1) shall have a right to self-perceived gender identity.”
While activists who spoke to TNM denied that there is discrimination within the community, members of the migrant trans community told TNM that those who have undergone gender affirming surgeries often refer to those who haven’t as ‘male’ and discriminate against them.
“That’s a major reason some migrant trans people face discrimination. We don’t have the money for surgery or post-surgery care. Besides, I believe it’s all about how we feel inside — I don’t need surgery to validate that I am a woman,” said Sundari.
But these intra-community issues are only symptoms. The real problem, according to George Mathew, is the failure of the state system.
“To begin with, the government and local authorities don’t have accurate data on migrant trans people. There are no real efforts for their welfare, and no provisions that allow them to safely report the abuse they face. Even law enforcement officers often harass them,” he said.
“Someone needs to take the initiative to bridge the gap between local trans communities and migrant trans people. But the authorities exploit these internal conflicts and xenophobia, ensuring no one questions them,” he said.
Ernakulam Rural Superintendent of Police, Vaibhav Saxena, told TNM that anyone facing such issues should come forward and file a complaint courageously. "They should report it to the Assistant Commissioner, DySP, or directly to me. We will definitely take action. So far, I haven’t received any complaints directly,” he said.
But for those facing violence and harassment, both from civilians and the police, such proclamations are just lip service.
In September 2023, the National Human Rights Commission issued an advisory to set up transgender cells in every state, recommending that “one officer in every police station be designated as a focal point for transgender [person]s.”
Although Kerala has a transgender cell, migrants have not approached it or benefited from its facilities. Many migrants TNM spoke to were not even aware of the cell’s existence.
Padma Lakshmi, who became the first trans woman lawyer of the Kerala High court, stated that Kerala's image as a transgender-friendly state is a facade. She argued that the existing system fails to support the local transgender community, let alone migrant transgender individuals.
“All the transgender policies in Kerala exist only on paper. Although welfare measures fall under the Social Justice Department, they are not effectively implemented. The Transgender Act hasn’t been fully enforced here. The Kerala government’s so-called progressiveness is limited to rhetoric. There are no job reservations for the transgender community, nor is there a proper process to genuinely understand their issues. How, then, can we expect them to address the challenges faced by migrant transgender individuals?” she asked.
How Kerala govt fails sex workers by seeing them only as vectors of HIV
She added that there should be a department or a commission for the trans community. “There should either be a commission with members from the transgender community or a dedicated department to handle these issues. Employment is a basic necessity, and while there have been initiatives for education, no one has monitored whether community members have been able to sustain their jobs or complete their education.”
In 2019, the Kerala State Women's Development Corporation (KSWDC) launched “Bodhyam – Gender Sensitization Training for Police Personnel” — an initiative aimed at fostering gender sensitivity among police personnel up to the rank of Sub-Inspector. This program covers various aspects, including understanding sex, gender, transgender identities, sexuality, gender-based violence, relevant laws, cyber laws, soft skills development for attitude formation and communication, basic HIV/AIDS awareness, and redefining the role of the police in promoting gender responsiveness.
According to KSWDC, “During the financial year 2023-24, KSWDC has successfully trained and sensitised 893 police personnel.”
The training sessions include classes conducted by transgender individuals for police personnel. However, activists have pointed out that while the program addresses gender issues broadly, it does not go into sufficient details of the problems faced by the transgender community.
Activists demand stronger law enforcement and a community-friendly system that offers accessible solutions to their problems.
In September 2021, the Madras High Court, in an order by Justice Anand Venkatesh, became the first court in the country to direct that the Police Conduct Rules include a clause stating that harassment of LGBTQIA+ individuals, activists, or NGO workers by police would be considered misconduct and subject to punishment.
Following this, in February 2022, the Tamil Nadu government amended the Tamil Nadu Subordinate Police Officers’ Conduct Rules, adding a clause prohibiting the harassment of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Haritha John is a Laadli Media Fellow. The opinions and views expressed are those of the author. Laadli and UNFPA do not necessarily endorse the views.