Madhuri's efforts to secure education, ever since her transformation from Rajasekhar Goud to her present self, have been laced with regular setbacks. Despite the stigma typically associated with transgenders, including social discrimination, Madhuri, with unflinching determination has secured a seat on merit at the Rayalaseema University in Kurnool.
Balancing education with activism, Madhuri believes offering reservation to transgenders in educational institutions would enable them to break the shackles that restrict them and help them achieve independence.
“Just like me, there are several others who want to pursue education and subsequently seek employment or begin a business venture. They want to change how society looks at them, earn self respect and individuality for what they really are. However, in this competitive world, where securing seats in educational institutions has become quite difficult, we urge the State government to offer us support in the form of reservation, so that we could continue our educational pursuits,” she says.
Speaking to The Hindu, Madhuri remarks that Kerala and Tamil Nadu have set aside two percent of seats in various educational institutions for members of the transgender community, and adopting a similar model or even a better one in the State would be a game changer.
Accommodative sphere
“I would like others from my community to experience what I am going through. For the past few months, since I have joined college, things look better. Youngsters, especially university students, are no longer immature. They have understood the plight of transgenders and have been quite supportive of the hard work some of us have been doing. I feel that every transgender should be able to pursue education in universities,” she says.
Recalling her admission, Madhuri says several student unions had backed her, and as there were no accommodation on campus, she had to join as a day scholar.
Lauding the efforts of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) government for allocating resources for the welfare of transgenders, Madhuri says that establishing a corporation or a welfare board would help them voice their opinions through representatives.
“It is remarkable the State government took a step towards our welfare, offering pensions, ration cards, lands for eligible people and loans.
Though we have been facing some discrimination in receiving them, we believe that someone from our community heading a corporation or a welfare board will relate to our problems, fight for our rights and arrive at a solution. A people's representative in the form of an MLA or an MP would be even better,” she says.
As regards employment offers to transgenders, she says they remain on paper only.
Temple for CM
As the government's is supporting the transgender community, they have decided to build a temple for Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu at Peddakotala village in Nandyal mandal of Kurnool district, she says. The temple is being constructed on land allotted to the transgender community and is scheduled to be opened by April 2019.
“We are currently mobilising funds for the construction of the temple and hope to complete it by the scheduled time,” she adds.