Horizontal reservations for transgender persons: Queering the equality code
Published on: 4 June 2023, 08:22 am
The re-imagination of the equality code, including those Articles in the Constitution that provide for reservations, is crucial for queer liberation. Such a re-imagination, is in line with the raison d'être of introducing the equality code in the Constitution which was to ensure that those communities which had been historically marginalised, namely the Scheduled Castes (SC) and the Scheduled Tribes (ST), have means to achieve dignity through livelihood.
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RAINBOW is the flavour of the month of June. Corporate logos will change to a rainbow backdrop, 'diversity, equality and inclusion' (DEI) sessions will be conducted, and the future of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) movement will be charted out, over the course of this Pride Month.
However, the aim should be to use this time to draw attention to issues that do not make it to the front page; issues that do not seek popular media attention, or if they do, are pushed away to the corners of newspapers.
The reimagination of queer futures, and the collective future of this country should be in a way that is truly inclusive and not just for cisgender people. It is a long-standing demand of the transgender community, led by Grace Banu.
Banu is a force to be reckoned with, and has been tireless in her efforts to ensure that the guarantees of equal citizenship are truly achieved: not just in terms of protecting fundamental rights, but also in terms of equality of status and opportunity in matters of public employment and education for the transgender community in India.