In The Time Of COVID

Transgenders in Kashmir belong to a marginalized community whose members are often only able to find work as matchmakers or wedding entertainers. Prolonged coronavirus lockdowns, preceded by a strict security lockdown in the region in 2019 when India scrapped Kashmir’s semi-autonomous status, left many in the transgender community with no work at all. Left without livelihoods, some stepped up to help each other. A transgender volunteer group distributed ration kits to those who lost their livelihoods during the pandemic. Life in general has never been easy for Kashmir’s transgender people. Most are ostracized by families and bullied in society. They face domestic abuse and end up running away from families at an early age. Some lack housing, education and other basic resources. Living in the shadows of society, coupled with the recent crisis of the pandemic, has pushed the community further to the margins.