Transgender Issues we work on

Homelessness

Homelessness is one of the major problems of transsexual people. When a transgender person ‘comes out’ to his/her parents, almost always, they are pushed out of their homes. Sometimes, unable to bear the violence and abuse from the family, they run away from home in search of people like them. If they are accepted by other Thirunangai family, they are lucky and can be a part of the family and live in their homes.

Otherwise, they have to find a rented house. The public do not give their rented homes to transsexual people. Because of the fear, hatred and misconceptions about the lifestyle of transsexual people, almost 95% of the house owners turn down transgender people. There are some people who give their houses for rent to transsexual people. They charge enormous advance money and monthly rent which the transsexual person can not afford to pay.

In places like Chennai, almost all the transsexual women live in the slums. Transsexual women are poor and marginalised and they are accepted in slums as people who struggle for living, understand and accept transgenders than anybody else.