Partners

November 20, since 1999, has been the International Transgender Day of Remembrance to memorialise those who have been murdered as a result of transphobia. The idea for Ondede emerged from a group conversation about the necessity of convergence between the rights of women and gender and sexual minorities.

Ondede addresses the ways that intimate partner, family, state, homophobic, transphobic caste, class, and community-related violence shapes the lives of working-class sexual minorities, transgender, and gender non-conforming people. Despite high levels of violence, several laws, such as India’s domestic violence law, do not protect transgender people, taking only a binary gender perspective. This binary perspective also limits the community’s access to social security benefits and other services such as banking.
Ondede has demonstrated expertise in undertaking advocacy for LGBTQIA+ rights. In their ruling, the Supreme Court and the High Court cited Ondede Reports on:

• Domestic and Sexual Assault, Claiming Voice, Rights, and Dignity (Love life and Laws). April 2018.
• Sex Reassignment Surgery (NIMHANS) Ondede-2017.
• Human Rights Violations Against the Transgender Community in Karnataka-2014.

Project with MHI:

Through MHI’s core funding support, Ondede will continue to address mental health issues of intersex, transgender, and sexual minorities through a rights-based approach. The organization will employ research, drama, and outreach to advocate for the ‘Right to Health and Mental Health’ for the community and will provide crisis intervention, counselling, and peer support as direct services. They will work with relevant stakeholders, such as NIMHANS, Government medical institutions, police, judiciary, legislature, educational institutions, and families of community members, to bring awareness on health, mental health, and other issues faced by the LGBTQIA+ community.

Find out more about Ondede on their website.