Sanjana Singh has become the first transperson to get a government job in Madhya Pradesh. She has been appointed the personal secretary to the director of the state’s Department of Social Justice and Disabled Welfare (DSJDW).
Known for her proactive involvement in social works, Sanjana is also the first transgender para-legal volunteer of District Legal Services Tribunal in the state and was also a nominated member of the Lok Adalat of the tribunal where she would hear cases in the company of several judges.
Her parents hid the truth about her sexuality till class 10. Fearing social ostracisation, They abandoned her, she was forced to join transgender community. Even the transgender community deserted her after she declined to be a part of the group that seeks money during celebrations and festivals.
“I never liked that task and kept resisting. As a result, the transgender community abandoned me,” she told Deccan Herald. Later, she joined an NGO and became a social worker.
Underlining the need to create better opportunities for the sidelined community, she said that people from her community should also come forward and contribute to the society while identifying their own talents.
“If the reservation can be provided to others, then why not to us? There is a need to spread awareness in the society about transgender people. If the society does not accept us, we will not be able to break our barriers.” she told news agency ANI.
She also stressed on the need to create more awareness about transgenders among masses.
“If the society does not accept us, we will not be able to break our barriers,” she was quoted as saying by News18.com.
Singh has been an active social worker for last 11 years, she has been working on child and women health issues through her NGO since 2008. Her work came to limelight in 2015 after her team had vigorously campaigned against open defecation in Madhya Pradesh.
