Funders need to understand the challenges trans activists face

Joya Sikdar is a leading trans activist in Bangladesh for 25 years and the founder and president of the organisation Somporker Noya Setu (SNS).* On the International Trans Day of Visibility 2022, we talked to her about her activism and challenges. She also highlighted how funders like the Dutch government could help advance trans activism.

Below are highlights and messages, as shared by Joya Sikdar: 

The biggest fight is against ignorance

We started the trans movement in Bangladesh in 1999. Since then, we have been facing challenges from different fronts. Since 2000, we have been trying to introduce the Bengali term “lingo rupantor” as the translation for the word transgender. Accepting this term will take us closer to the general acceptance of our identity and help us advance in asserting our rights.  

Government officials do not understand what the word ‘transgender’ means and that it’s an umbrella term. They are trying to include the word ‘Hijra’, which involves just one community.

Now the Ministry of Social Welfare of Bangladesh is drafting a bill on LGBTQIA+ rights; Asian Development Bank (ADB) is supporting the bill. They are trying to pass this bill mentioning trans people as ‘Hijra’. I sit on the advisory committee and am trying to change it to include the word ‘transgender’ instead. 

Government officials do not understand what the word ‘transgender’ means and that it’s an umbrella term. They are trying to include the word ‘Hijra’, which involves just one community.

Joya Sikdar, a trans activist from Bangladesh, is facing the camera wearing a saree with the motif of the trans flag.
Joya Sikdar

Hijra vs transgender

“Hijra” culture only exists in the Indian subcontinent. People who belong to this culture are trans women. We tried to explain it to government officials and policymakers in many ways to replace this word with ‘transgender’. The term trans would include a lot of communities, including trans men, trans women, and more gender-diverse people.

Also, people often think ‘Hijra’ means intersex people. Intersex people do not even belong to the Hijra community. This is one of the biggest challenges for me to make the general public and social and political actors understand the difference.

Under the work of CMI!, this year, we organised a theatre play to raise awareness of a trans person’s life – how she overcomes many adversities and becomes a leader. And we have been talking to policymakers and lobbying with the government. We have also made a documentary on trans issues to show to government officials so that they understand us and include us in the bill. 

Now things are slowly changing. That’s why I say – if no one started these movements, no change would have occurred.

They treated me as if I were not a human being

Of course, there is much social-cultural-religious pressure while working on this cause. In Bangladesh, people do not know much about gender orientation and sexual identity. There is no information about sex and gender in the curricula of schools, colleges or universities. After much effort, we could include a story of a trans woman in the textbook of 7th grade. The religious fundamentalists started making a lot of fuss about it – they said it’s not allowed in our religion to make a man a woman or a woman into a man. They posted on social and other media about it, attacked us in those spaces and spread hatred and misinformation. 

The families of trans people are also not supportive, and if someone wants to undergo a transition, they don’t allow it. We have no provision to mention our gender or change it in the birth or school, or college certificates. For example, on the national identity card, you can choose from male, female, and – a new addition – Hijra.  But not everyone is a hijra or trans woman. We are trying to change that into a more inclusive term. 

I was forced to leave my home. I faced violence as a sex worker. When I worked at different organisations, they did not treat me like others – they barely recognised me as a human being. Now things are slowly changing. That’s why I say – if no one started these movements, no change would have occurred.

When directly applying for international institutional funding,  it is also tricky because of the problem with registration. We need legal registration to submit funding proposals. But we cannot register as an organisation working for LGBTQIA+ rights. 

Funding is key – but many things make it inaccessible to us

I work with a marginalised community. There are barely any employment opportunities for us. In 2014, the government promised they would be provided some jobs – which also did not materialise. We had to go through medical exams and they concluded that these people are all men – in the guise of women. To run a movement for our rights in such a context, of course, we need money. This community does not even have a basic income. How can we fight for our rights if we do not have any resourcing? 

To sustain the movement, different organisations work with different funders. We observed that funders preferred to work with big organisations rather than small and community-based ones. This mentality needs to change. 

When directly applying for international institutional funding,  it is also tricky because of the problem with registration. We need legal registration to submit funding proposals. But we cannot register as an organisation working for LGBTQIA+ rights. 

We cannot also mention anywhere that we work for LGBTQIA+ rights. Our government does not support LGBTQIA+ rights – they admit our presence but do not think we should have our rights and live with dignity. Only when you are here, you will see how marginalised we are. 

Funders must acknowledge and reduce the challenges trans activists face

Institutional donors like the Dutch government can ensure that all the small community organisations can access funds easily. Firstly, they need to recognise our challenges and make it easier for us to get those funding. 

To apply for funding, paperwork and registration are mandatory. I already mentioned how difficult it is to register mentioning our work. If donors understand this reality, they can make a real difference by relieving activists and organisations from many bureaucratic burdens and challenges. 

I also need to add my name and contact details, etc., on many forms and papers. Those details expose me. Whenever I fill out forms, more people know who I am and what I do. This poses security risks. The donors can try to reduce such risks for activists and shape their funding process in a way that does not compromise the security of the activists. 

Direct funding to community organisations is the best catalyst for change. Now we are getting funding through CREA, which is a great organisation and has a lot of experience in working on LGBTQIA+ rights. When donors do not directly support us, at least they can ensure that organisations like CREA can support us easily. 

We, trans activists and small community organisations are fighting for our basic rights as human beings – to live with dignity. With or without resourcing, we do it – we fight for our rights to live a life free of violence and discrimination. Donors need to see that and trust us if they really want to make an impact.

* Somporker Noya Setu is a CMI! parnter is Bangladesh. The organisation has been working on policy change and engaging with social and political actors in Bangladesh on trans issues since its inception in 2010. It is also active in many global and regional networks working on LGBTQIA+ and trans movements.

Share This Post

More news like this

Skip to content