When the mother of a Pune-based man required round-the-clock medical attention at home a few months ago, he preferred to have a trained gay nurse to take care of her.. The man, who himself is gay, said his action was pushed by two main reasons. “It was my way of giving back to the community, which has been my chosen family for the longest possible years. Also, I found the gay man to be more receptive and sensitive as a caregiver to my mother’s needs, ” said the man in his mid-50s.
After a long and painful convalescence, when his mother no longer required a round-the-clock attendant, the gay nurse found employment with another gay man in a similar condition solely through word of mouth.
“It was such experiences that prompted Anil Ukarande”, founder of Yutak, a Pune-based organisation that works for the LGBTQ community, to think about imparting training to the community members in paramedical care rather than sticking to stereotypical jobs in salons.
Yutak has collaborated with several agencies to impart training to the first batch of 25 members of transgender community in paramedics. The programme is financed by Humsafar Trust and Plan India organisation. The first batch will pass out by the end of July.
According to Ukarande, as the community members grow old, the need for such care will increase, and many of them might not have immediate caregivers.
“Also, most of the skill training work for the community, especially those for the transgender community, is stereotypical – either they are trained for running beauty parlours or asked to be trained as mehndi artists. Instead of giving in to the stereotype, we decided to get them trained as medical attendants,” Ukarande said.
Ukarande said many in the gay community do not have what can be called a family to fall back on. “Gay men have their family of choice, and as they grow older, it becomes important for them to have a solid line of caregivers. Our idea is to form this through this paramedical training,” he said
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A gay caregiver in the team told The Indian Express that the training as a paramedic would help him upskill himself to have better job opportunities. “At present, I am not able to get many opportunities. But hopefully this will change,” he said.
While they will be working independently, Ukarande said the members from the trained batch would be referred specifically to the community members who would require their services. “For reasons of privacy, their information will be kept private. But in case someone from the community asks, we can refer to them,” he said.
Ukarande went on to explain how many gay men form what is called a family of choice. “While this concept is very common in the West, it is still gaining ground in India – roughly translated, it would mean the family which the community builds around the friendships and relations they have. We aim to make a strong family which would help gay men, especially in the field of medical care,” he said.
Apart from training in the paramedical field, four candidates, including a transman, got trained as driving instructors, he added.
