he Hijra Transgender Welfare Society representing the traditional transgender community living in the city, has expressed concern about alleged impersonation by heterosexual men as transgenders and “illegal activities” carried out by them.
Led by G.Krishna from an NGO Suraksha Society, they organised a media conference here on Wednesday, and spoke of mafia said to be controlled by seven persons claiming to be transgenders, six of whom were reportedly arrested by the police acting upon the complaint lodged by the society’s members. “They resort to human trafficking, by luring the unemployed and forcing them to undergo sex change surgery, and inducting them into beggary and sex work. Some of them run microfinance too. They keep the victims in their control by lending amounts at high interest rates,” said Mr. Krishna.
Some of them are heterosexuals masquerading as transgenders, and they have families too, he claimed. The press meet condemned the support given by another collective Telangana Hijra and Transgender Samithi, to men posing as transgenders.
Mary, a member of the Society claimed that the new breed of transgenders is involved in murders and extortions, and has spread to districts too. Sabera, another transwoman questioned the NALSA judgement, and the Transgenders Rights Bill, and said it will encourage more impersonation. Karthik Bittu from the Telangana Hijra Transgender Samithi, while responding to the allegations, admitted that there is a lot of internal exploitation within the community, but contended that such conflicts should not be used by the police to harass the transgenders. “If someone from the community has really harmed another, then we should let the law take its own course. But the differences between hijras living in the protection of ‘Havelis’, and those surviving on beggary and sex-work, should not be interpreted by the police as an opportunity to harass them,” Mr.Bittu said.
