‘Living in fear’: transpersons fear being struck off voter rolls amid SIR

Amid the Election Commission of India’s special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, the transgender people in the State have found themselves struggling to prove their identity. While many of them are estranged from their biological families or were thrown out of their homes, several others who have undergone gender affirming surgery are facing uncertainty regarding their voting status.

Kabita, a 24-year-old transwoman, moved out of home four years ago leaving behind years of physical violence and trauma from her own family members, who even burnt her birth certificate and other documents when she insisted on living independently. “How will I prove my identity now? My family is asking me to come home for the EC’s door-to-door verification. But I feel it’s a trap and they are using the SIR process as an excuse to call me home so they can lock me up and probably abuse me more,” she said.

As part of the SIR exercise, voters are required to prove their identity, origin and, in many cases, parental legacy. For most transpersons and queer individuals either abandoned by their families or those living in shelters and rented accommodations, it is a difficult task. “My partner lost both her parents as a child and lived in a roadside shanty while growing up. That shanty was demolished with time. From where will she get a proof of her previous residence or her ancestors?” Ishan, a 40-year-old transman, said, adding that both he and his partner have been spending sleepless nights.

Many are also worried about mismatches in their identity documents such as name, gender, and their appearance after transition.

“Those in the process of transition often face difficulty answering the barrage of questions from landlords and employers. ‘Why have you started growing a beard?’, ‘Why have you started dressing like a man?’ As if all that was not enough, now there is this SIR sword dangling over our heads,” Ishan added.

Even the transgender identity certificate issued by the Central government, which is a nationally recognised document that can be used to officially change one’s name and gender in documents such as PAN, Aadhaar and passports, does not appear among the supporting documents listed by the Election Commission for the SIR process.

“This anxiety over SIR and the whole process to prove our identity again is making us relive the past trauma. Most of us are living in a constant state of fear,” Koyel Ghosh, the managing trustee of Sappho for Equality told The Hindu. There are over 250-300 people associated with Sappho for Equality, and most of them have been unable to fill up the enumeration form for the SIR.

While Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have no solution, senior officials in the Chief Electoral Officer’s office are also not sure how to address the problem.

‘Looming uncertainty’

Amid the maze of documents and the looming uncertainty over losing their right to vote, many feel this is a final blow to their existence. “Are we not people of this country. Then who are we? Our parents do not want us, our country does not want us, where are we supposed to go?” said Kiaan, a 25-year-old transman.