Transitioning to India Inc

At an office party some years ago my female colleagues had put together a rampwalkrdquo says Siddhant who identifies by his first name only ldquoI was teased by my colleagues who kept prodding me to join them I just laughed along they are like familyrdquo Dressed smartly in a black shirt and khaki pants with aviators to roundoff the look he could be mistaken for a young policeman ldquoI am not the stereotypical macho guy I love to cook I cry at times I donrsquot think these make me less of a manrdquo says the 37yearold as he chivalrously offers to pay for coffee at the cafeacute we are at Itrsquos a good 10 blocks away from the recruitment firm of 12 staffers in Bandra West where he is employedSiddhant has been working as a recruitment consultant for the last 15 years His clients and colleagues have seen him through his transitioning years PicRane AshishLooking back at the 15 years that he has been working at the firm as recruitment consultant Siddhant thinks he has been luckier than most ldquoWhen I underwent the first phase of my sex realignment surgery SRS I informed my boss I was provided a loan and a month off for recovery He even mailed my colleagues explaining the situation and asked me to bear with them while they adjusted to addressing me as lsquohersquo instead of lsquoshersquordquo says SiddhantBorn a girl Siddhant knew since his primary school years that he was different Wondering if he was a lesbian it was only in 2007 that he learnt of the word lsquotranssexualrsquo With a BCom in hand he like a few others has managed to find his place within corporate India and works without discrimination His story however isnrsquot shared by everyoneJoe Zachariah who leads a steering committee for diversity and inclusion at an MNC spoke at a talk on LGBT inclusion at the workplace organised by the Godrej Culture Lab on Friday PICGodrej Culture lab lsquoHow will others reactrsquoIn another larger Delhibased recruitment consultancy firm with branches in metros across the city a transsexual candidate had applied for the job of recruitment officer at the Kolkata office last year Having undergone an SRS after graduating from a boyrsquos college the candidate was rejected The CEO of the company explains ldquoWe werenrsquot sure whether the workplace was mature enough to handle her Will she be teased Will there be discrimination How will her colleagues accept herrdquo The candidate was turned down The same CEO then spoke of how unfortunate it was that hijras were used by MNCs as collections executives to intimidate clients to payupRelentlessly upgrading her academic qualifications and professional experience Sonalee Chaukekar works as a parttime accountant for two organisations and as fulltime workshop coordinator at Manav Foundation an NGO where she supervises the production of handmade crafts items PicPradeep DhivarIn the gender category a tickbox with lsquootherrsquo written against it in official documents and job application forms is not enough Workplace homophobia is one thing transphobia is its growing child The term LGBT Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender could be problematic in these cases since it lumps together orientations and gender identities Your sexual orientation can be kept private but your sex with all its visible signs is public One solution will not fit allThe most aggravated are middleclass transsexuals like Siddhant whose father worked as a turner at a mill in Byculla with an education that prepares them for whitecollar jobs but short of workplaces that will absorb themAdvocate Tripti Tandon says ldquoThe conglomeration mdash LGBT mdash is helpful to fight for the rights of these sexual minorities But when it comes to nuances and differences it can cause more hurt than helprdquo Earlier this year Tandon had represented Anamika Singh a 26yearold who now works as assistant manager at a public sector bank in Malabar Hill Singh who is known by her legal masculine name at her workplace was selected through the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection exam held in October 2014ldquoI had travelled from Delhi for the interview in January I had applied as a male candidate and when I told my prospective employers that I was planning to undergo hormone replacement therapy HRT my honesty backfiredrdquo says Singh Singh was shunted around It was only the threat of a lawsuit that brought an immediate hiring ldquoBut I lost out on my trainingrdquo says the MBA graduate And then she flicks her hair checks her reflection in her cellphone and says ldquoBut I feel secure in a public sector bank They canrsquot fire me without reasons I worked towards this all my liferdquoNavigating the everydayCoinciding with Independence Day celebrations this year a video uploaded by Yathartha Pictures on YouTube showcased hijras singing the national anthem The video starts with a blurb on last yearrsquos Supreme Court ruling in the National Legal Services Authority NALSA judgement as helping hijras ldquofollow their dream and pursue a career of their choicerdquo The hijra actors are dressed as flight attendant cook and doctor But without actual policy frameworks this could well be a fancydress for fanciful thoughtsThe biggest hurdle is with terminology and documents The lsquothirdrsquo gender has its categories A hijra is castrated a transsexual has an SRT while a transgender does not Siddhant for instance does not use the term lsquothird genderrsquo Identifying himself as male he has changed both his name and gender in his election card He had to approach a lawyer to effect similar changes in his PAN card His passport has not been issued still ldquoWhen my PAN card gets changed I will have to resign from my job and be appointed again My boss feels this is the best way to overcome meaningless paperworkrdquo he says Singh on the other hand is gearing up for the documents battle Despite her designation at the workplace she chooses not to have her masculine name on placecard on her desk ldquoThankfully my colleagues introduce me as a girl to our customersrdquo she saysJoe Zachariah who leads a steering committee for diversity and inclusion at an American multinational management consulting firm says ldquoIn the bluecollared world hijras are accepted In the whitecollared world lesbians and gays are better accepted than transsexualsrdquo It is always the softer aspects in workplaces mdash such as genderspecific toilets or a man who wants to dress like a woman mdash rather than big policies that need most consideration he says However he cites how his previous workplace another MNC provides for up to 35 per cent coverage for SRS The problem There are no takersThe hijra stereotypeSince discrimination occurs early on it is hard to see transsexuals occupy positions of power With few support groups in place dropout rates in colleges and schools are very high says Pallav Patankar director of Humsafar Trustrsquos HIV programme He suggests a visit to Thailand where apart from its ladyboys transgender women are often seen working in factories ldquoIn India if you are a pretty transsexual you will be forced into sexwork It is seen also as a way of staying away from the discriminatory eyes of colleaguesrdquo he says He also points at the stereotype of the hijra connected with earning money through begging ldquoA hijra need not be poor A hijra may have crores The question is Who will allow a hijra to buy a house with those croresrdquoSonalee Chaukekar works as a parttime accountant for two organisations mdash Dinesh Carriers and Hill Heavens Cooperative Society mdash and as a fulltime workshops coordinator at Manav Foundation an NGO in Grant Road The 21yearold identifies herself as a hijra mdash different from transsexuals She has a hijra guru and also makes donations to the community Through her high school years and later during her BCom Chaukekar has amassed the following typing certificates an MSc IT as well as a Tally course Having once worked as a compounder and peon she is intent on getting employed as a fulltime accountant This she feels is not in conflict with her identityldquoBeing professional goes a long way No one has ever been prejudiced against me at any workplacerdquo she says There is one thing that comes in her way though mdash the fear of interacting with men who make suggestive remarksldquoIt is important to define what nondiscrimination is Most often colleagues are confused about what they can and cannot ask a transsexual Orientation and sensitisation programmes a support structure and a career graph will help transsexual employees feel comfortablerdquo says PatankarA career graph however is the least of Siddhantrsquos troubles ldquoI have struggled with myself for so long that I never had room to think of anything elserdquo