Publicis Sapient wanted to use the corporate social responsibility funds mandated by the 2013 Indian Companies Act in a thoughtful manner and to effect maximum positive impact, even a multiplier effect on the communities it supported. It was decided to support grossly underserved areas of social development, helping marginalized, vulnerable communities mostly overlooked by corporate giving and ignored by society at large.

In the wake of a landmark 2014 Indian Supreme Court decision relating to transgender communities, there were many conversations in the media. However, it was evident that there had been little to no work done with the transgender population in India beyond an interest in health-related interventions and the cultural nuances of transgender social groups, specifically hijra gharanas. It was also clear that discrimination, disrespect, and intimidation is not only a fundamental part of the experience of being a transperson but it also acts as a barrier to accessing a range of services from education to capital to social entitlements.

We reached out to The Humsafar Trust, the oldest LGBTQ organization in India which has been working on LGBTQ human rights for 25 years. They brought their expertise and experience to the table and TRANScend was born.

Historically, Indian society accepted the transpersons and we find several references in ancient and historical texts. The 18th-century advent of the British and their values in India initiated the exclusion of the transgender community which still prevails. Ostracised from their families and communities, they are easy victims of violence and discrimination and have gross unequal access to employment, decent housing, healthcare services, and other basic citizenship rights. They live a ghettoized existence with their main source of livelihood being sex work, begging on streets and dancing at and blessing people at auspicious or celebratory occasions.

A 2014 Indian Supreme Court judgment gave the transgender community an unprecedented level of legal support and recognition and called for an end to gender-based discrimination and increased social, political, and economic inclusion. Unfortunately, despite the favorable ruling the benefits have still elude most of the transgender community due to their pervasive under-education, systematic discrimination faced in bureaucratic settings and misconceptions and apprehensions held about them by society at large.

TRANScend was conceptualized to work with the transgender community and help them to address the stigma and discrimination that limits their access to basic services and inclusion in education and the formal workforce.

To bring the struggles of transgenders to light and voice their stories for inclusion we created a film to reach a wider audience, dispel misconceptions and start a conversation. Our film ‘people not labels‘ shows the unexpected love story bloom between two transgender, who meet at TRANScend after having faced their own struggles and finding a place where they’re accepted.

To provide context, the impact film threw light on the vulnerability of transpeople in India. TRANScend’s efforts to bring a change in government policies, corporates hiring policies and the abolishment of article 377 which criminalized homosexuality, has had a positive impact on their lives and produced unimaginable results.

This has seen the transgender transition to an empowered community, working towards fulfilling their dreams; embarking on their journey to becoming founders, film-makers, artists, educators, and storytellers. Some have even found love and are leading fuller lives with inclusion.

To inform its strategy TRANScend began by forming a Transgender Advisory Board and partnering with six transgender community organizations in Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru respectively. The long term plan was and continues to be to enhance the inclusivity of the transpersons by several advocacy and awareness initiatives for all relevant stakeholders. The approach adopted was to study the socio-economic and educational needs of transpersons, sensitize companies and educational institutions about transgender issues and build capacities of transgender community organizations by training them in research methodology, legal awareness, advocacy, effective use of social media and resource mobilization strategies. To provide a platform to the community to chart a path for their inclusion into society a national stakeholder meet and consultation was included.

TRANScend began on 1st April 2017 and its third phase will be undertaken till 31st March 2020 with activities focussed primarily in Mumbai, Delhi, and Bengaluru. Several activities have been implemented in line with the strategy such as a research study which engaged with over 500 transpersons; capacity building of 81 representatives of transgender organizations; enrolment of 163 transpersons in 17 skill-building courses; creating 2 sensitization training manuals and modules; conducting 55 sensitization workshops with companies and educational institutions attended by over 1600 persons; organising 3 roundtables to initiate a direct dialogue between companies and the transgender community; undertaking 6 advocacy activities with politicians, lawyers and law enforcement agencies; creating 1 documentary and 6 short films telling the stories of transpersons; funding of 8 innovative transgender community-related initiatives; facilitating 610 transpersons to obtain identity and social entitlement documents and organizing a national event with over 100 transgender participants.

TRANScend adopts and strengthens sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality.

It has directly touched the lives of over 950 transpersons and enabled a more inclusive ecosystem for the entire community of nearly half a million. 5 major companies in India introduced transgender-inclusive policies, 2 transpersons were employed in Fortune 500 companies, 610 transpersons felt empowered as citizens having obtained identity and social entitlement documents and the campaign including the documentary film, Facebook live chat, partnership with digital media portals had over 1 million impressions on various digital platforms.

TRANScend has helped support movements which led last year to the abolishment of the Indian law that criminalized consensual same-gender sexual acts and the passage of The Transgender Persons (Protection Of Rights) Bill, 2018 in the Lok Sabha of the Indian Parliament.