Tezpur Hosts Media Sensitization Programme on Transgender Issues Organized by AMANA and SAATHII

TEZPUR: A day-long media sensitization programme to raise awareness about the transgender community and their issues was organized in Tezpur on Thursday. The event was organized by the All Manipur Nupi Maanbi Association (AMANA) in collaboration with Solidarity Action Against HIV Infection in India (SAATHII).

The main objective of the event was to sensitize the journalist community of Greater Tezpur around transgender human rights and to scale up awareness around the Transgender Person (Protection of Rights) Act 2019 and Rule 2020. The event was attended by more than 18 journalists and 25 transgender community members from Tezpur town and surrounding areas.

During the event, the community representatives shared their lived experiences and personal stories. Moromi Khan, a transgender person who also works as a Community Resource Person (CRP) with SAATHII and AMANA, shared about the initiatives and developments that have taken place in Tezpur. Moromi Khan emphasized the state’s accountability and responsibility to ensure the full implementation of the Transgender Person (Protection of Rights) Act 2019 and Rule 2020.

Attending the programme, the secretary of AMANA, gender rights activist, author, poet, and scholar, Santa Khurai, explained the various stigmas they face in society, including house owners refusing to accept them as tenants, discrimination in public places, and others. She wanted the media to bring these real issues to the fore. Santa also said that after the Supreme Court’s landmark judgement giving them the third gender status, they have a chance to move freely among the general public. But they were still facing discrimination.

The media representatives also shared their ideas on how they can work together with the transgender community of Tezpur in the near future. They also assured that they would support the community in terms of making stories around individuals’ lives and challenges. The idea is to help produce socio-cultural pressures to protect the rights of the transgender community in the district. They also said that despite the progress in legal and civil rights, the social prejudices associated with the community are still rampant. The event was followed by a community event, which was marked by the performances of the community representatives.

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