Transgenders in GB Nagar demand separate vaccination camp

Noida: Members of the transgender community in Gautam Budh Nagar have asked for a separate Covid-19 vaccination camp for them, saying they have been left out of the process. District administration officials said that they have plans to hold a vaccination camp for the transgenders.

Urooz Rizvi, a transgender who is a social activist, said that she has written to the district administration asking for a separate vaccination camp for the community. “Most of the transgenders are not educated enough to understand the importance of vaccination. I have urged the administration to hold a vaccination drive for the transgender community in GB Nagar,” said the Sector 74 resident who is recovering from Covid-19. Rizvi also runs a restaurant in Sector 119.

Activists said that most of the transgenders are unaware of the registration process on Cowin portal to get vaccinated. Kaushal, a transgender, said that she has no clue about it. “Our community is usually cut off from the society. Others in my colony who work as domestic helps have been able to get registered and their employers are helping them get vaccinated. However, I have no clue about this,” said Kaushal, a resident of Chhalera village in Sector 44.

Basera Samajik Sansthan, an NGO that works with over 2,000 transgenders in GB Nagar, is getting them vaccinated since the vaccination for the 18-44 age group opened up.

“Most of the transgenders have fallen prey to the rumour that vaccination may harm the body. We have been sensitising them and encouraging them to get vaccinated against Covid-19,” said Ram Kali, a transgender who works at the NGO.

The NGO has so far got 20 transgenders vaccinated at the Sector 30 district hospital. “In the last two weeks, we could only get 20 people vaccinated. We urge the district administration to hold a vaccination camp for transgenders so that they are not left out of the process,” added Ram Kali.

When asked, GB Nagar district magistrate Suhas LY said that the administration is planning to hold a vaccination camp for transgenders soon. “We do not want any section of the society to be left out from vaccination against Covid-19. We will plan a vaccination camp for transgenders soon,” he said.

As per the 2011 census, Uttar Pradesh has 137,465 transgenders.