School students got to meet and talk to people with different sexual and gender identities and learnt about their right to live with dignity in society at an interaction organised as part of ‘Beyond the binary,’ a campaign organised by the non-profit Helping Hands Organisation in association with Queerythm, a community-based organisation for the LGBTIQ people, and The Gender Park.
The programme, held at the Nishagandhi auditorium on Monday morning. was aimed at sensitising students to the rights of persons who do not conform to the labels of ‘he’ or ‘she’ to live with dignity and equality.
“What is the meaning of transgender?” asked Shyama S. Prabha, born a male, recalled how she went to school and college but was constantly jeered at. “Transgenders are ridiculed and called all sorts of names, which is very hurtful and traumatic. Such behaviour even ends up denying many of them the right to education,” she said.
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The interaction was part of H2O’s Children’s Movement for Civic Awareness. Students of Sarvodaya Central Vidyalaya, Trivandrum Scottish School, Sree Narayana Public Schools, Jyothis Central School, and Navajeevan Bethany Vidyalaya took part.
Transgender rights activist Akkai Padmashali who runs the organisation Ondede spoke to the students about the International Transgender Day of Remembrance that is observed the world over to remember transgenders killed in the name of their gender and the violence they continue to face. A 24x7 helpline of Queerythm (ph: 97455 45559) was also launched. Earlier in the morning, a walkathon was held from Manavaeeyam Veedhi. A one-act play ‘Dwayapparavakal’ was staged.