Chennai’s century-old Loyola College gave free admissions to Mirthulla and Diya, two transgender students who will now be pursuing their undergraduate degrees along with other students in the institution. Both of them will also be receiving a scholarship from the college.
The college’s director of media relations, Rev Father Justin Prabhu said, “The two students have been offered admission on the basis of their merit. Both are on par with other students and they deserve to study in our college.” So far, more than five transgenders have passed from Loyola College. Justin Prabhu states that they work with the NGOs which are working for the transgender community and provide adequate importance to these students and make them a part of society.
Mirthulla aged 19 years, will be pursuing Bachelor in Multimedia (BMM) while Diya aged 21 years, will be doing her Bachelor in French literature. Diya completed her 12th in 2013, but could not make it to college for higher studies because none of the colleges were willing to have a transgender student. She says that she wants to study French Literature as it will open up new opportunities for her. She can even go abroad after that, to work there.
On the other hand, Mirthulla, a native of Vellore, while talking about her dreams, says that she wants to become a journalist so that she can highlight the problems which transgender community faces, through her work. She aims to change the way society judges the transgender community. Mirthulla lives with other members of the transgender community because her family rejected her, reports India Glitz.
In the current scenario where members of the transgender community often speak up about the humiliation they bear in educational institutions, this news comes as a ray of hope for them. Although rights of the transgender community were recognized by the Supreme Court’s verdict of 2014, they are still neglected by society. Andriya, a transgender who works for the cause of others says that pursuing higher education for transgenders is not at all easy. Every day they have to deal with taunts and sarcastic glances. Moreover, most of them have to bear financial burden on their own as the majority of them are abandoned by their own families. However, Andriya is thankful to the authorities of the Loyola College for providing scholarship to both Mirthulla and Diya.
Also Read: #Inclusivity: Delhi University To Directly Reach Out Transgender Students To Enroll Them
