Exploring the discrimination and stigma faced by transgender in Chennai city–A community-based qualitative study

BACKGROUND: Transgender people experience widespread prejudice discrimination, violence and other harms of stigma and trans-phobia (dislike of or prejudice against trans-sexual or transgender people). To study various modes in which transgenders experience the stigma and discrimination and to understand situations and circumstances under which they are vulnerable toward stigma and discrimination. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study was a mixed-method study which was conducted during the months of January to June 2019 among 43 study participants. Focus group discussion and in-depth interview was conducted with these participants with subsequent transcription. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used for analysis. RESULTS: Transgenders face discrimination and stigma in various setting including education, employment, healthcare, and various public setting. Difficulties in getting government identity cards (ID), facing difficulties in changing ID cards after transition, discrimination in getting bank loan, homelessness, travelling rejections were considered as major obstacles and discrimination by the study participants. CONCLUSION: Multilevel interventions are needed for transgender populations, including legal protections, improvement of various settings. Inclusive measures should be taken to improve their status focusing on social stigma coupled with psychological pain and economic hardship.