Helpline service for transgenders begins in Tamil Nadu

For helping as many as 50,000 living transgenders – persons who feel or behave like opposite sex despite having identical and potent genital by birth – in the state, the Tamil Nadu government on Friday launched a phone helpline service and an insurance scheme.

Transgenders are usually avoided by the society and even by the family members. There is also no job for them in any public or private institute, which led to assess them beyond the part of society.

To support the transgenders and eliminate rumors about ‘cross-gender’ persons from the society, the state government has initiated a helpline service named ‘Manasu’ from Friday. By dialing '044 - 25990505', anyone who wants to get the detail information about this ‘change of behaviour’ can talk to the experts on phone in Tamil and English language.

This helpline will also inform in details about the issues related to transgenders like understanding transgenders, the symptoms of beginning the transition into the transgenders, the methods in which people could be psychologically affected and offers way of helping them.

Moreover, this helpline would also pioneer the transgenders to make their own way and breakout false notions around the society. This service has begun by Tamil Nadu AIDS Initiative administered by Voluntary Health Service.

“For those who want to understand the issues related to transgenders, this helpline will serve as a gateway of information and counseling,” said Dr.Lakshmi Bai, Project Director, TAI-VHS.

‘The main focus will be to reach out to parents who have various misconceptions regarding transsexuals and are faced with the dilemma of owning or disowning them,’ she added.

Inaugurating this service, state health secretary V K Subburaj said that for supporting transsexual persons, government has done its best efforts, including issuing ration card and medical health services, but only government efforts were not sufficient to assimilate them into mainstream society. “We need public support too. I am sure this toll-free call facility would help us gain such support,” he added.

Subburaj also announced, “Apart from issuing voter identity card and ration card to transgenders, they would be included in the Chief Minister's Insurance Scheme so that they get treatment in government and private hospitals for serious ailments.”