Bihar inches towards reservations for TG in various sectors

Do you know that certain prominent movers and shakers in the Government of Bihar are seriously considering a .04 representation for transgender people along the lines of reservation for women?

Don’t confuse TG with Hijras. Transgender people are trans-men and trans-women, people who may or may not have opted for gender reassignment surgery. Members of the Hijra community also fall under that classification. The Bihar government, according to reliable sources, is putting together documents that can support this move. This means that out of every thousand jobs, say for primary school teachers, 4 will be reserved for transmen or transwomen, and so on. Similarly, there will be reservations in colleges as well. A gender resource centre that looks at issues of the ‘other’ genders is also being mooted.

What largely went unnoticed by the national press and of course the English language press in Bihar was a significant event on May 21, a run-up to International transphobia day ( on May 17). The Bihar government, in fact its department of Culture and Youth affairs organized a programme at the prestigious Premchand Rangshala on the occasion of ‘Kinnar divas’ [transgender day]. The principal hand behind the effort was Mx  Reshma Prasad, who can safely be cited as Bihar’s leading TG activist. The programme was attended by the Minister for Women and Child Welfare, the culture Minister, the District Magistrate and several other prominent persons. Transgender artistes from other states also performed at the function.

Mx Reshma believes that Bihar is more sensitive to the issues of TG people: Kinnars, Kothis, laundas, and others, and looks forward to the day when many more TG people can live in society without any sort of discrimination. Reshma, by the way, is an assistant professor at one of the colleges in Patna. A bank in Patna also has a transwoman teller. Coming out is much harder for the transmen, Reshma believes, but looks forward with hope.

Coming up in the future may be a TG film festival supported by the Government of Bihar!

  Bihar, LGBT, Rainbow, transgender, transman