LGBTQIA activist Disha Pinky Shaikh on Tuesday lamented that the transgender community does not get reservations in Maharashtra despite deserving the benefit as they are not a "vote bank."
Speaking at a conference on the issues of the LGBTQIA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual and Agender) here, she pressed for sensitization towards the community's needs at workplaces and in society at large.
Physical harassment of the members of the LGBTQIA community is rampant but generally such things are not reported to police or other authorities, she said. The conference had been organized by Satish Pradhan Dnyanasadhana College, Thane in association with Indian Council of Social Science Research.
There are no old age homes for transgenders, Shaikh pointed out. The community gets reservation in Karnataka , Chhattisgarh and Telangana but not in a progressive state like Maharashtra, nor is there any educational, health policy in place for them in the state "as we are not a vote bank," she said.
(With PTI inputs)
