Getting admission in a college may not be an “achievement” for many, but for 28-year-old Suman, her entry into St. Joseph’s Evening College is not just a milestone for her, but for her entire community.
Ms. Suman, a transgender, had enrolled for the BBM course 11 years ago, but had dropped out unable to bear the ragging and humiliation. She decided to give it another try this year, and joined B.A. Journalism.
“Only education can transform the life of transgender people. It will give us the courage to face challenges and help us integrate into the mainstream,” said Ms. Suman.
She acknowledges the help she received from Ondede, an organisation working for the rights of children, women and sexuality minorities.
As for her classmates, she says they have been “cordial” to her. “Though I was slightly apprehensive in the beginning about the way I would be treated by my classmates, now I have decided to complete the course by facing up to the challenges that crop up. Now my fear has gone. I have decided to concentrate on my studies rather than give importance to other things,” she said.
Meanwhile, Father Maxim Dias, Principal of St. Joseph’s Evening College, told The Hindu that the college had not admitted a transgender before. He was confident that other students would be accommodative. “I do not think there will be any problem for the transgender student,” he said.
Bangalore University, which has reserved a seat for transgender people in each of its postgraduate courses, has failed to find a single taker. The main reason for this is that there aren’t many graduates among transgender people.
