"I am very happy today," saya an elated Aneera Kabeer, a transwoman teacher from Kerala, in a video. Aneera had just come out of a meeting with V Sivankutty, Minister of General Education Kerala, who had assured her that she can continue in her existing teaching job.
Aneera's case had gained prominence when she had approached the legal services authority, seeking a lawyer to apply for euthanasia. As bizarre as her request would sound, Aneera said that it was impossible for her to live as a transwoman and have no job. A dual master's degree holder, she had a temporary teaching job until recently. It is understood that the minister had taken suo motu cognisance in Aneera's case, when he got to know about its nature.
A statement from the ministry, that was released on Tuesday, January 11, said that Aneera is the sole breadwinner of her family and had lost her brother to a vehicle accident just a few days back. It was around the same time that she lost her temporary teaching job in a government school. She said that a few other schools had rejected her application, based on her gender identity. While Sivankutty spoke to her over phone on Tuesday and assured a quick solution, he had asked her to submit a written petition the next day.
"The minister said that he spoke with the Palakkad Education Deputy Director and that I can continue in my job. I am grateful to him for helping me out here," said Aneera. "This government has a responsibility to ensure that members of the transgender community live a dignified life," said the minister in a statement.
During the beginning of the first lockdown, Aneera had filed a writ in the Kerala High Court, pointing out the difficulties that transgender people had been facing during the lockdown. Hearing the petition, the court had ordered that necessary steps shall be taken to ensure issuance of gender identity card and the ration card to transgender people and to make medicines available for them free of cost.
