(image: www.facebook.com/mgu.ac.in)

Kottayam, Kerala: In a landmark move, a hostel exclusively for transgender students has been opened on the Mahatma Gandhi University campus in Kottayam district, marking a first for the state.

On Monday (August 25), State Social Justice Minister R Bindu inaugurated the hostel building and called it a “historic initiative.” It was a long-standing demand of students belonging to the marginalised community.

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University sources told that the hostel can currently occupy at least six students. Officials expressed that the hostel facility will enable and welcome more people from transgender community to higher education.

“There has been a remarkable rise in the number of transgender students qualifying for the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) in the state. In this circumstance, I appreciate the hostel project initiated by MG university. The marginalised community has been fighting against several odds in life, and we must ensure social support for them,” Mathrubhumi reports as Minister Bindu is saying.

Minster further added that many transgender individuals continue to face severe ostracism from their own families, which demands society’s involvement in offering dignity and acceptance all the more important.

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Meanwhile, a transgender student lauded the initiative, saying that the hostel facility is a great help as students from the community find it difficult to find accommodation, particularly with surging rents.