KOLKATA, INDIA, July 4, 2015 (Times of India): Rural India has over 70,000 transgenders, with Uttar Pradesh topping the list with nearly 13,000, and West Bengal home to around 10,000, reveals the Socio Economic and Caste Census 2011. The census’s gender analysis reports rural India has 74,286 transgenders.
According to Ranjita Sinha, transgender activist and a member of Bengal’s Transgender Development Board, the survey released on Friday reflects the growing recognition of the third gender in the state. “The census will provide a way to frame better policies for the third gender in the state. A lot of positive things are happening in Bengal and the official record of the numbers are evidence of the growing recognition, especially in the rural areas,” Sinha told IANS. Sinha said the statistics and data will help further strategies in health and education of the third gender.