Significant rise in transgender voters in Kerala, India

The 2024 Lok Sabha election witnessed a significant surge in the number of trans voters in the state, showing a six-fold increase compared to 2019. Despite this rise, less than half of these voters managed to cast their ballots.

Out of a total of 367 trans voters registered in the state for the 2024 election, only 150, or 40 percent, actually voted, according to ‘The New Indian Express’. By comparison, in 2019, there were only 62 trans voters registered, with just 22, or 35.63 percent, participating in the voting process. Over the five-year period, although the voter registration increased dramatically, the percentage of those who voted only rose marginally by five percent.

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Kerala, a pioneer in recognising trans rights, established a policy for the trans community in 2015, a year after separate voter ID cards were issued to them nationally. “The transgender community was granted entry into parliamentary democracy very recently,” noted social scientist J Devika in an interview with TNIE. “Therefore, it's society's duty to encourage their participation. The community needs to feel connected to the democratic process,” she added. Notably, the 2019 Lok Sabha election in Kerala featured Aswathi Rajappan, the first intersex candidate, who ran for a seat in Ernakulum, indicating a growing acceptance of LGBTQ+ individuals in public life.

Nevertheless, Syama S Parbaha, state secretary of the Democratic Transgender Federation of Kerala, a branch of DYFI that launched the country’s first political wing for transgender people, voiced concerns in a conversation with TNIE. “In this election, although many transgender members applied for an address change, most were rejected. The reasons are unclear. Some also faced issues with duplicate cards in certain districts. I believe that beyond the political parties, it's each individual's responsibility to exercise their rights,” Parbaha explained.

Surya Ishaan, the inaugural trans voter in Kerala and a founding member of the Democratic Transgender Federation of Kerala, highlighted a general disinterest from families and the public in encouraging transgender individuals to register to vote. “Party workers, eager to see people vote, do not demonstrate the same zeal in assisting with changing addresses on voter IDs or in enrolling our names on the voters list. Typically, family members and local communities show little interest in these processes. Political activists seldom take it seriously,” Ishaan remarked.

Surya, who is also a celebrity makeup artist, shared that she voted for the first time after she personally took the initiative to obtain a voter ID card.

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