Caste, Gender and the Violence We Don’t Talk About Enough

Posted By: Admin Published: 23, Dec 2025

Violence against transgender people is often discussed as a single issue, disconnected from caste and class. But for many in our community, oppression is layered — and caste plays a powerful role in shaping who is most vulnerable.

Dalit, Bahujan and Adivasi transgender people often face violence that is both transphobic and caste-based. This violence is not always visible. It shows up as exclusion from housing, denial of work, harsher policing, unsafe neighbourhoods, and lack of access to justice. When violence occurs, responses from institutions are often dismissive or hostile.

Within queer and trans spaces too, caste realities are sometimes ignored. Conversations focus on identity without addressing material conditions — landlessness, poverty, lack of education, migration and survival work. This silence makes the most marginalised within the community even more invisible.

Violence is not only physical. It includes everyday humiliation, economic coercion, social isolation and systemic neglect. When caste intersects with gender identity, the risks multiply — and the pathways to safety shrink.

Acknowledging this is uncomfortable, but necessary. Advocacy that does not centre caste will always remain incomplete. Safety, dignity and justice cannot be achieved unless we confront how caste structures access to power, resources and protection.

At TAPISH, intersectionality is not a theory — it is lived reality. Our work recognises that trans liberation must include caste justice, economic justice and social accountability. Only then can we begin to address the violence we don’t talk about enough.