Gender bender: She is almost caste away

For transgenders, it is still a struggle to enter the poll fray, as Veena found out on Thursday. Veena is the first transgender in the state to come forward to fight an election. But, she is being made to run from pillar to post, as she seeks to file her nomination.

Veena, 32, who wants to contest the BBMP elections, walked into the office of the tahasildar (North) on KG Road to procure the caste certificate that is required to file the nomination on Friday.

The problem arose when she had to fill the ‘gender’ column for her caste certificate. The column had only two options: male or female. Veena couldn’t select either of the two. The officials refused to give her the caste certificate, since the column was blank.

She was finally given the certificate around 8 pm after her union took up the matter with the officials.  Speaking to DNA, Veena said she would be contesting from Okalipuram (ward 96) as a candidate of the Praja Rajakiya Vedike. The ward had been reserved for scheduled caste (women), she said. She had to file her nomination in a day or two, Veena said.

Officials at the tahasildar’s office were refusing to give the certificate even after she produced the medical certificate and the notary document which stated that her name had been changed from Vittal to Veena. She said she was made to wait for a long time since the senior tahasildar had not signed her document.

She was given the certificate when members of Sangama, a union working for the rights of sexual minorities in the state, and Praja Rajakiya Vedike protested, she said.

Akkai Padmashali of Sangama condemned the treatment meted out to Veena. “She was given the certificate only after we protested. Why should we even be made to protest for getting what we deserve?” Padmashali questioned.

“People in the office were questioning her about her gender instead of asking her why she was present in the office. We do not approve of this kind of discrimination.”

State Election Commission (SEC) secretary DK Ravindranath said that nothing should come in the way of people wanting to contest polls. Transgenders could contest from general wards without any trouble, he said.

However, the returning officer, who is also a quasi-judiciary official, has the power to take the final decision.