Gayatri is a social worker since 2001 and a Community Correspondent. The veteran activist has worked consistently to break down historically ingrained and accepted caste and gender-based discrimination whose effects she personally experienced. Girls in her village were prohibited from continuing their education and were married at an early age. Gayatri, however, was determined to study. The higher secondary school…

Gayatri Ambedkar

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Transgenders in India have no or very little social standing. Very often they do not have identity proofs or ID cards issued by the government to avail benefits of social schemes run by the government. During the COVID-19 lockdown, the government announced that every ration cardholder will be given ration free until the end of lockdown and even beyond that. But for transgenders like Babita and Pinky, who have been living in Uttar Pradesh's Bawana village for more than a decade but do not have valid papers to prove it, life proved to be tough.

This is when Video Volunteers community correspondent Gayatri, who has been reporting on issues of gender and caste discrimination for a long time now, decided to help them. She made video reports highlighting their problems and made the local Block Development Officer aware of it. As a result, three local ration shop owners volunteered to give them ration at no cost. Pinky and Babita along with 10 other members of the community, who were living with them, were able to survive the lockdown with relative