The stories of trans people not being able to find a suitable place to live aren’t new anymore. Many landlords across different cities in India consider it a shame if they welcome any trans tenant.

Recently, Akkai Padmashali, the face of transgender welfare in Karnataka, faced a similar issue after which she has been trying to crowdfund on platforms like Ketto and BitGiving to raise money to buy a house. Sadly, she has raised only Rs 8,100 of the Rs 15 lakh so far. To add to her misery, the banks have rejected her housing loan applications since she cannot provide any deposit.

Speaking to TNM, Akkai, an award-winning transgender activist, spoke about the discrimination and remembered how this particular landlord in Bengaluru made fun of her when she arrived to check the place. About a different incident, she explains, “They did not give me water. I had people knocking at my door because I am a trans woman, and they assume that I am a sex-worker and beggar. They came at 11.30-12 in the night to my door to ask me to have sex with them. I was so scared to live alone in the house.”

Even after she got married and shifted to Magadi, things didn’t change for her. In fact, her husband too faced harassment and embarrassment. She says, “Even in Magadi, people have continuously asked me to vacate their houses saying I am a black mark on their building. We decided then that if we wanted to leave this house, we should go to our own house.”

Another trans person, Uma, who is the founder of Jeeva, an NGO that works for the rights of gender minorities, adds, “Landlords don’t sign rent agreements with us. If we’re working in the community and are popular in media, they find out about our identity and ask us to vacate the house. Some of them directly tell us that people will view them differently if they let us stay in the house. Some of them indirectly make some excuses.”

All this comes as a shock because in 2017, the state government introduced the Karnataka State Policy on Transgenders to support the community with proper water supply, housing facility, etc. However, nobody really cares to follow the law.

As far as Akkai is concerned, she plans to buy the house in next few months. Thankfully, she has raised Rs 7 lakh with the help of her friends and family, she needs Rs 15 lakh more by April 20 to be able to retain the house and register it in her name.

H/T: TNM