“I have learnt not to take contemptuous remarks seriously”

Twenty-four-year-old transwoman Gunavathy is a security guard at the newborn ward of Government Hospital, Dindigul. She is probably the first transwoman to be employed at a GH in the State.

A postgraduate in English literature, Ms. Gunavathy joined the hospital in May 2013. The job helped her get the much-needed acceptance from society, she told The Hindu on Wednesday. “I ran from pillar to post and submitted several petitions seeking a job. When it was suggested that I can join the hospital, I accepted it gladly because I love infants,” Ms. Gunavathy says.

Hospital employees treat Ms. Gunavathy like a family member but she is also subjected to distasteful experiences at work, she adds. “Hundreds of people visit the hospital every day. While most of them treat me like any other person, there are a few who look with contempt and laugh with scorn. Sometimes, they pass contemptuous remarks. It hurts, but I have learnt not to take them seriously,” she says.

“Even when I am treated with contempt or discriminated, I recall that I cannot quit because I got the job after much effort. I also want to set an example for the transgender people, some of whom take to wrong means to earn their daily bread,” she adds.

She is thankful to Dindigul Collector N. Venkatachalam for providing a job. “At a time when there were reports of infant thefts, Mr. Venkatachalam entrusted me with the job to protect the children. I was appointed as a contract employee under Tamil Nadu Rural Health Mission,” she says.

Ms. Gunavathy is pursuing Master of Social Work course in Annamalai University in the distance education mode. She is the only student to choose third gender category while applying for the course.

Having born in an agricultural family, it was not easy for her to gain the acceptance of her parents to tell the world that she is a transwoman. “When I declared my gender identity, my family was ridiculed. It was not easy for my parents and siblings to accept the fact. But today they are supportive of all my endeavours,” she says.

She frequently visits educational institutions in Dindigul to create awareness of HIV and transgender people. In a few weeks, she is planning to start an industrial training centre for young transgender people.

According to Ms. Gunavathy, support from family is paramount for every transgender person to lead a dignified life. “If every transgender person is supported by the family, there will be no need for them to take the wrong path to support themselves,” she says.

Ms. Gunavathy’s dream is to become a teacher. “When I approached a private institution to join B. Ed. in 2012, I was denied admission because of my gender. But I am hopeful that I will complete B. Ed. in a few years and become a teacher,” she says.