In a path-breaking initiative, the Madurai district police have decided to induct transgenders into the service of Tamil Nadu Home Guards.
Six educated transgenders will soon wear khaki uniform and undergo training for aiding police in the maintenance of security, traffic regulation and disaster management. The move comes months after a woman who joined the Police department was found to be a transgender and dismissed from service in Villuppuram district.
“Six transgenders who have passed SSLC and Plus Two have been identified to join the Home Guards. We want to thank the Madurai Superintendent of Police V. Balakrishnan for making this possible. This will be a great step towards recognising transgenders and giving them an opportunity to join the mainstream workforce of society,” Bharathi Kannamma, founder of a trust that serves the transgender community in Madurai told The Hindu on Thursday.
The transgenders are expected to appear before the Madurai police on Monday for physical assessment.
Referring to the instance where a transgender was given the status of a woman and allowed to appear in the Group-II Service examination conducted by the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission recently, Kannamma said the transgender community should be recognised as a third gender and not as women.
