Enrolment of trans voters surges in India

The number of trans people enrolled to vote in the Indian state of Bangalore has nearly doubled. The Chief Electoral Officer has said that number is now 4,552 – a dramatic increase from the last election.

This surge in enrolment is in part attributed to trans activist Akkai Padmashali who founded the organisation Ondede, an activist group dedicated to sexual minorities. Padmashali was also one of the first trans people to be married in India – a country where homosexuality is still criminalised.

Padmashali recently came to prominence when she publically asked Barrack Obama what could she do to fight the criminalisation of homosexuality in her home country: “I am a criminal.”

Watch Obama’s response below.

While trans people in India have praised the high enrolment, many say the real hurdle is getting to the ballet boxes safely: “‘I have had this experience while waiting in queues. People pass uncalled for comments,” one trans person said.

Tim Gibson - myGwork