In March 2022, Youngistaan Foundation held an interactive session with 100+ transgender women in Manikonda on COVID-appropriate behavior, WASH, and practical steps to keep safe from COVID-19.
An effective part of the session was the Q&A round during which transgender women asked questions such as:
- How can we maintain good hygiene practices in the crowded spaces we live in?
- How often should we wash our hands?
- Should we wash and/or replace our face masks frequently?
- Should we wash our clothes frequently to destroy germs?
- Access to healthcare facilities is limited for us, so should we get vaccinated?
- COVID testing is not done for us, how can we know if people here are safe or not?
- How can we practice good hygiene, if we do not have access to public toilets?
The answers and recommendations to these questions sparked a productive discussion on: following COVID protocols with the resources and services available and identifying avenues to find solutions to challenges faced.
On their question on public toilets, the Municipal Commissioner of Manikonda, K. Phalgun Kumar was present during the session held a conversation with the transgender community and Youngistaan Foundation on the current situation regarding access to public restrooms. In less than 3 months, the municipality constructed and inaugurated the first trans person restroom in Manikonda in March 2022.
The launch was attended by the Municipal Commissioner, the local MLA, representative from the transgender community, and Youngistaan Foundation.
In many cases, transgender women have limited livelihood options that are restricted to begging, sex work and attending celebrations to perform rituals. COVID-19 exacerbated these limitations and further widened the gap between them and the resources they need to stay safe from the pandemic.
The awareness session and the subsequent action taken to provide a public restroom in a safe space is one step forward (of many) required to connect transgender women to essential health and hygiene services needed during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
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