Short stay home for transgenders coming up in Anna Nagar

Anna Nagar will soon offer transgender persons a safe and secure place to stay, a facility fashioned along the lines of the State-run Thozhi working women’s hostel.

This initiative is aimed at helping members of the community who come to the city in search of a job, education, seeking identity card or for surgery.

Greater Chennai Corporation has initiated the ground work for establishing such a facility in Zone VIII (Anna Nagar). A resolution regarding this was passed recently by the Corporation Council. It also announced that Thozhi, a community-based organisation working towards health, education, empowerment and employment of transwomen, will oversee the new facility. Currently, a shelter for transgenders is functioning at McNicholas Road in Chetpet, near the Chetpet railway station.

“This facility was established in 2018 as a central government project and run with the support of GCC. NGOs like us were roped in to take care of the place,” says Philothama M, coordinator of centre in Chetpet.

The place has the capacity to accommodate 25 people and on an average, they stay for a year. “Any transperson coming to the city to appear for an exam, those rejected by their families and those facing health issues due to change of gender can avail this space, says Philothama.

While the Corporation arranges for dinner and snacks, Thozhi provides the residents with breakfast. “One year is too short a period to see a change in the life of a transgender, so we are not so rigid that they vacate the place in a year,” says Philothama.

The new shelter proposed by the State Government will go by the name ‘Aran’ and will be a short stay home, says Philothama.