Indian Transgender activist, singer, dancer and actress Kalki Subramaniam was attacked June 2nd while in route to her home in Auroville, near Puducherry India. Subramaniam was riding her moped when two unidentified men begun following her on bikes. When she crossed a unlighted section on the Karuvadikuppam bridge on East Coast Road the men sexually assaulted her ultimately pushing her to the gtound.
Kalki told Times of India "When I reached a dark spot, they suddenly came very close to me, sexually assaulted me and pushed me down onto the road. My moped was damaged and I was hurt in my left arm and right foot and was bleeding," said Kalki, who played the lead role in the film 'Narthaki' (embedded below), which won international acclaim. Kalki said her assailants fled soon after pushing her down. "A foreigner, who was passing by, came to my help," she said.
Subramaniam tried to report the attack at the Auroville police station but they refused to accept it saying she needed to know who the attackers were first. The police have denied that was the reason for not taking her claim saying they were unable to process Subramaniam complaint becuse she was unable to name the location of the attack.
Subramaniam responded to this on facebook "What an irresponsible answer and a lie it was for the police officer to say this to the press? I am a victim assaulted. Even if what they said was true, isn't it their responsibility to help me to find the place where I was assaulted?"
Perseverance paid off shortly later Kalki posted a facebook status update: "Finally, my FIR registered, promises made by the top level officers to take actions as soon as possible. protection for Auroville women assured with more police patroling and monitoring around Auroville. I believe, the crime prevention measures I recommended will surely be in action soon."
Kalki Subramaniam is founder of the Sahodari foundation empowering India's transgender community who's latest project teaching journalism would be very frightening to those who would desire our community's continued subservience. The world of transphobic haters need to know this, transgender people are one, united world wide. When you attack one of us you attack us all.
Kalki's lead roll in the critically acclaimed movie Narthaki is of great importance to the transgender community. The traditional role of transgender people in India's ageless culture validates our existence to pre biblical times.
The story begins with Kalki (Kalki) a transgender who is a classical dance artist, recounting her life's story to a journalist.
Synopsis:
Her life begins in Vilar, Thanajavur, as a young boy Subbu (Aswin), the son of a Silambam exponent (Karate Venkatesh) and a home-maker with a keen interest in dance. The boy grows up watching his mother, drawn to feminine adornments, and dresses.
He first discovers his attraction to his own sex as an adolescent, in itself an awkward episode. His cousin Meena (Leema) tries to engage his affections, but has no success. Matters explode when Subbu's parents come to know of this, and the boy, thrown out of his home, runs away.
It is after this point that the story actually picks up pace. You're shown the terrible strain faced by a young man who's confused by his sexual identity, and finds refuge with others like him in Mumbai. His gradual transformation into a woman, the pain he undergoes, both physical and mental, and his embracing of his identity is shown in neat and touching detail. A new world is thrown open to you, and it's a fascinating, although depressing, one.
6/9/13
6/8/13
Greek Transsexuals Are Being Rounded Up, Arrested and Threatened In a Pre Pride CrackDown
Amidst the Greek government's ongoing draconian reaction to the recent protests and the subsequent silencing of the media, there is yet another untold story of human suffering. The police at the bequest of the Orthodox church are targeting law abiding transgender residents of the northern city of Thessaloniki in a bid to terrorize the LGBT community by breaking the weakest link, before the city's second Pride.
*Update Aug. 12 Please sign the petition Tell EU Member States: Save Greek "undesirables" from internment camps!
The Transgender citizens of this city are already marginalized, and desperately need the world to know about this. This is not an isolated or one time occurrence. August 9th 2012 while conducting operation ‘Xenios Zeus’ Greek police detained and arrested 25 transgender woman during that one night. It wasn't until April 17th 2013 that the last of the woman were acquitted.
Source grr Reporter: The police in Thessaloniki has been carrying out a series of ungrounded arrests of transgender persons as stated by the Greek Transgender Support Association. "According to written complaints filed by our members who live in Thessaloniki, it is clear that from 30 May 2013 onwards, the police have been carrying out purges and arrests of transgender citizens on a daily basis. The same complaints state that those arrested are being taken to the police headquarters in Thessaloniki in Dimokratia Square, where the victims are waiting for at least three or four hours to be identified under the pretext that the authorities should establish whether the particular person was not a prostitute," reads an address of the non-governmental organization (NGO).
The Association stresses that the police behaviour during the arrests was offensive, humiliating and that it was intended to undermine the dignity of transgender persons. In three of the complaints, the victims note that traffic policemen had stopped transgender women while they were driving their cars without any proof or suspicion of any fault or violation of the law. Later, they were taken to the police station in order for their identity to be verified.
The testimonies of a large number of victims suggest that before being released from custody, the policemen threatened transgender women, warning them that if they did not "return to normal", legal proceedings against them would be initiated for indecent behavior in public places.
From the press release of the "Σωματείο Υποστήριξης Διεμφυλικών" (Greek Transgender Support Association) "Middle ages fascist police practices of Thessaloniki" the NGO's attorney, Electra Leda Koutra, talks about being arrested for trying to speak with the transgender people jailed during the sweeps that police begun on May 30th:
The agenda for the ThessalonikiPride via Facebook:
*Update Aug. 12 Please sign the petition Tell EU Member States: Save Greek "undesirables" from internment camps!
The Transgender citizens of this city are already marginalized, and desperately need the world to know about this. This is not an isolated or one time occurrence. August 9th 2012 while conducting operation ‘Xenios Zeus’ Greek police detained and arrested 25 transgender woman during that one night. It wasn't until April 17th 2013 that the last of the woman were acquitted.
Source grr Reporter: The police in Thessaloniki has been carrying out a series of ungrounded arrests of transgender persons as stated by the Greek Transgender Support Association. "According to written complaints filed by our members who live in Thessaloniki, it is clear that from 30 May 2013 onwards, the police have been carrying out purges and arrests of transgender citizens on a daily basis. The same complaints state that those arrested are being taken to the police headquarters in Thessaloniki in Dimokratia Square, where the victims are waiting for at least three or four hours to be identified under the pretext that the authorities should establish whether the particular person was not a prostitute," reads an address of the non-governmental organization (NGO).
The Association stresses that the police behaviour during the arrests was offensive, humiliating and that it was intended to undermine the dignity of transgender persons. In three of the complaints, the victims note that traffic policemen had stopped transgender women while they were driving their cars without any proof or suspicion of any fault or violation of the law. Later, they were taken to the police station in order for their identity to be verified.
The testimonies of a large number of victims suggest that before being released from custody, the policemen threatened transgender women, warning them that if they did not "return to normal", legal proceedings against them would be initiated for indecent behavior in public places.
From the press release of the "Σωματείο Υποστήριξης Διεμφυλικών" (Greek Transgender Support Association) "Middle ages fascist police practices of Thessaloniki" the NGO's attorney, Electra Leda Koutra, talks about being arrested for trying to speak with the transgender people jailed during the sweeps that police begun on May 30th:
"I just got back from the police station, after a marathon night in Thessaloniki. [I]..suffered the most devastating mental violence experience of my life, from police officers, who I then sued for a multitude of crimes against me, including felony. Very briefly: When I wanted to visit my transgender client, who was in a detention center for the 3rd time in 4 days (like many transgender within the last 5 days, due to some sort of order they should be "cleared" from specific points in Thessaloniki), I was obstructed to see her. When I managed to get in, after calling the central alarm number of the police "100" and complaining about the obstacles being imposed on the communication of a prisoner with her lawyer, the officer on duty threw me too in the detention center of the police station and locked me inside, where there were mostly prostitutes, without informing me about the reason of putting me into custody."Electra Leda Koutra makes it known on her facebook page , she respects the majority of police:
The fascist police practices remind us of the middle ages and are not associated with any kind of rule of law.
The association for the Support of transgender people, declares that it will resort to justice, as well as to international organizations and forums asking for the condemnation of the Greek State, which on the one hand is responsible for the brutal trampling of the human rights of transgender people and of the lawyer who defended them, and on the other hand for the straight violation of every concept of application of law.
We honestly feel ashamed that the lawyer and President of the Greek human rights organization Pleiades Leda Koutra, Electra, suffered all this unbelievable humiliation and mental violence. We thank her from the bottom of our hearts for her perseverance and support to our struggle, and we apologize to her for those who made her suffer all this, giving the promise that they will be held accountable.
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
"The fact that I have a very beautiful experience of my relationship with policemen who honor their oath and love out their duties despite the destitution, in terms of working conditions, salary, etc., to which and have condemned the policies of this site, I'm angry yet more serving persons as the perpetrator of the crime against me and sadly tarnished the image of the other. Please don't generalize on my wall with statements like "all policemen etc." because I have no appetite to help hate speech against any group.
The agenda for the ThessalonikiPride via Facebook:
Labels:
Greek Pride 2013,
Homophobia,
Pride,
Thessaloniki Pride,
Transphobia
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