Pandemic adds to misery of Kathmandu's transgender women

As transgender women, Nisha, 23, from Humla district, and Dilkumari, 22, from Dailekh district, were already dealing with considerable social stigma, multiple economic barriers, and denial of access to even basic services. The lives of the two temporary residents of Kathmandu has been made harder still by the Covid-19 pandemic. Here are the accounts of the hardships of these two women—as well as the community they represent—in their own words.

Dilkumari

My parents remind me that I have studied more than them and I thus know how to handle my sexual orientation. They also tell me not to kill my desires. Mindful of their support, I wanted to go back to my ancestral home after coronavirus gripped Kathmandu. But then I decided to stay back rather than face social stigma. Yet the transgenders have it though even in Kathmandu. I lost my job during the pandemic. I recently paid Rs 13,000 in rent by taking out a loan. How can I pay the rent when I don't even have enough to eat? Instead of helping us, the government asks us to produce our citizenship when we go to ask for pandemic relief. Just like me, many are transgenders in Kathmandu are suffering, and they don’t even where their next meal is coming from.

Nisha

Every day is hard. I was in my fourth year of college but I can’t attend classes anymore. I used to work as a social worker, but I have lost that job as well. I took out a small loan to survive but that too is running out. I am worried my landlord will kick me out as I don't know where the rent money is coming from. But I am not the only one struggling, many others are too. To survive, many have had to go back to sex work. It is hard to find clients in the pandemic and to be out late at night. The locals have started clamping down. They beat up one of my friends yesterday as she was moving around. We lived in pain during the previous lockdown, and the new one will bring us more misery.