CHENNAI: Minmini can never forget the Koovagam festival. But it is not good memories that she associates it with. When she says she doesn’t want to go there anymore, she speaks for herself and most of the transgender community, as men swarm the village and force themselves on them.It seems the Koovagam festival, which is a two-day event beginning on Tuesday, will see less transgenders this year. Minmini recalled how when she was walking toward the temple some village men forced her to sexually surrender herself and when she did not oblige, she was brutally beaten up. Kalki, who has not been to the festival for the last two years, says once a group of boys pulled her saree and tore her blouse. “We have to walk at least two to three kilometres to reach the temple and men wait to pinch our hips, pull our hair and touch us in all possible places.” Pooja explains that the men usually outnumber them. They would be at least three times the number of transgenders present, trooping in from eight villages near Koovagam as well as from Villupuram, Puducherry and Cuddalore, seeking sexual pleasures. She recalls how she was dragged by some men when she was leaving the temple after the ceremony. “I decided not to go after that. There is no proper police protection. Men just slide the window glass of our vehicles and touch us wherever possible. Over the years, it has just gotten worse,” she says. Kajol, who has decided to give the festival a miss, points out that their people were also at fault and that the festival has become more of a place for open prostitution. “Transgenders who come from Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore wear silicon breasts and strut around only in their undergarments to solicit men. And invariably, both parties will be equally drunk. If these things happen, how can we complain of violence against us? The only solution is proper police protection.”
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