SLIC's Kolkata unit forms a strong alliance with the transgender community in West Bengal
SLIC started working on issues faced by the transgender community since 2016, where a matter on behalf of a transgender candidate Atri Kar was taken up by advocate Aindreela Chakraborty from the Kolkata unit before the State Administrative Tribunal. This resulted in an order being passed was in her favour that she be allowed to sit for the West Bengal Public Service Commission. She was facing difficulties in filling up the form as the gender column only had 2 options: male and female. Thereafter, a few matters of Atri Kar and Tanushree Chakraborty and a few others relating to similar issues were also taken up with a positive outcome.
Moving further, SLIC recruited a transgender advocate, Ankan Biswas, in the Kolkata Unit. Hereafter, a meeting was also held whereby the issues of the community were discussed at large and SLIC assured them of legal aid.
SLIC has always extended support to every cause of the community. SLIC activist Aparajita Bose from our Kolkata unit has also been an active part of the cause, participating in the Rabindra Jayanti cultural programme organized by the Association of Transgender/Hijra in Bengal (ATHB), walking alongside the community during Pride parades, protesting for three days at Ranu Chhaya Manch against violence inflicted on the transgender community during the celebration of the Nalsa Judgement and visiting the Jalsampad Bhawan to give a deputation along with ATHB members.
SLIC has also conducted workshops on dance for members of the community in collaboration with internationally acclaimed Indian classical dancer, Alokananda Roy. We also initiated active participation in a meeting arranged by Prantakatha where Aindreela Chakraborty represented SLIC alongwith Aparajita Bose, Savio Pinto and Indrajeet Dey, and reiterated that SLIC would always stand with the community.
ATHB has also felicitated Aparajita Bose at their programmes for organisation's support.
Taking the fight onwards, SLIC has been filing Public Interest Litigations in the Supreme Court and a few state high courts to secure the rights of the community. Stay tuned for more details.