A shelter home for transpeople in Kochi

Transpeople find refuge in the facility funded by Social Justice Department

A year ago, a teenage boy from Pathanamthitta dropped out midway through graduation and abandoned his home not having the courage to declare his sexual orientation to his family. Since then, he had a sex reassignment surgery (SRS), turned a transwoman and ended up in a home for transgenders engaged in sex work in Coimbatore. The youngster’s family remains under the impression that he is away on a job. Later, the person fled to Kochi and took refuge in the transgender shelter home here for a while. Most of the 55 transwomen who have taken shelter at the home at different points since it turned operational in March-end have similar or more harrowing tales to share. It is the only home for transwomen in Kerala under the Social Justice Department, the other in Thiruvananthapuram being for transmen. At present, the home has nine residents.