A community of transgender folx, many from Bahujan and Dalit backgrounds, reside in Sandeep Nagar (on the outskirts of Kovilpatti), Tamil Nadu, which is a society that has been set up under the leadership of Dalit transgender activist, Grace Banu.  The society is a safe space for transgender folx to reside as a community and had been providing refuge to 2 queer teens: Roshni*(she/her), a 19-year-old queer cis-woman and her minor friend, who is trans (she/her). The safety of this community has been compromised as a result of death threats from Roshni’s caste-Hindu family who gathered around their society and “laid siege”.

*name changed to protect privacy

Who laid siege to the transgender community residing in Sandeep Nagar?

Prior to these events, on the 18th of June, 19 year-old Roshini was presented at the V.K Puram police station, where she was accompanied by some residents of Sandeep Nagar. According to a report by The New Indian Express (who have misgendered the trans minor throughout their report) she had refused to go with her biological family citing sexual and emotional harassment. These details are also spelt out in the petition filed by Grace Banu (copy pictured below) to the Chief Minister’s cell and the superintendent of the Thoothukudi police station. Due to these circumstances, Roshni took refuge at Sandeep Nagar. She eventually moved to a government-aided shelter. 

Despite her having shifted out, Roshni’s frustrated relatives gathered around Sandeep Nagar, along with “casteist goons” who threatened the residents and Grace Banu outside their homes. As reported in The New Indian Express, one of the relatives told the residents: “who will question us? I will manage to come out of jail in seven years.”.

Also read: Kerala High Court Recognises Family Spaces As “Sites Of Abuse” For LGBTQIA+ Folks

What does Grace Banu’s petition to TN CM say?

On the 12th of July, Banu submitted a petition to the Chief Minister’s cell and the Thoothukudi police station superintendent. In it, she sought protection and appealed to the policemen to ward off the goons who were causing ruckus in the neighborhood with an official warning. She had also asked for police patrol that could ensure the community’s safety. In her comment to Gaysi Family, Grace Banus said, “The local police took 4 days to respond. They visited Sandeep Nagar yesterday for patrolling and said they will keep an eye on the situation.”

The minor, a trans-girl and a friend of Roshni’s, was presented at the Kovilpatti All Women’s police station. Thereafter,  she was was sent home with her parents on the condition that the parents should not torture her. On the 11th of July, the minor reported alleged harassment once again and had left home. Sources told The New Indian Express that she was taken to the Thalamuthu Nagar police station for further inquiry. As of now, there are no updates on the minor’s situation and where she is right now.

“⁠Everyone needs to know that violent casteism and honour killings are very much alive in Southern Tamil Nadu and it needs to be strongly addressed. The casteist groups who threatened the transgender community must be apprehended and stopped from engaging in such transphobic and extra-judicial acts. There is no queer liberation without dalit liberation.” – Grace Banu

What is the history of the Sandeep Nagar neighborhood?

Sandeep Nagar was set up by Grace Banu with the support of their trans-friendly ally district collector Sandeep Nanduri, after whom the new village is named. It’s a residential and employment space for approximately 30 transgender women. The shocking part of this incident is that these 30 transgender folx, already alienated by mainstream society, were threatened right outside their homes in a neighborhood that was designated as a safe space for them. It’s essential to remind ourselves that trans or queer safety is not something that the system provides, but it’s something that the system has to continue to ensure.

How are we evolving as a culture and society if people feel comfortable with the idea of killing young people, while justifying their queerphobia?

When asked if there is anything that we, the larger Indian queer community and its allies, can do to extend our support besides amplifying this news, she said, “Dalit Trans people have risked their lives to support two rural queer teens. But the support from urban queer people for such cases is little to non-existent. We need queer people everywhere – corporate DEI leaders to NGO leaders, everyone to stand with us and fight this violent casteism [in addition to queerphobia].”

Also read: How Mainstream Media Makes a Spectacle of Queerness

Media treatment of the issue

So far only a few news agencies or outlets have covered this news, which in itself is an issue. A lot of media coverage has been historically redirected from queer rights movement to celebrity culture, instead!

Also read: Manipuri Trans-Community, Led by Malem Thongam, Demand for Peace!

That aside, many reports that did cover the issue have used gendered pronouns that are not appropriate for the minor involved in the issue, who is trans. Many news platforms have also sensationalized the matter by referring to the 2 teenagers as a ‘couple’, despite Grace Banu’s petition’s wording, which refers to the 2 queer young persons as friends. This leads to the erasure of the nuance in this matter, which is not just about queerness but also about caste hierarchies that exist even in queer society.