The Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC) has announced its decision to rename Sector 50 Metro Station as ‘She Man’. This initiative will open up a plethora of opportunities for transgenders, in the form of employment and other special facilities.
In a statement, Ritu Maheshwari, Managing Director of NMRC said, “renaming the station will help raise awareness and instil sensitivity amongst people around the transgender community”.
As of now, there are 4.9 lakh transgenders in India out of which 30,000-35,000 stay in NCR. The move will be a loud & clear call for inclusivity as an important step in providing meaningful inclusion and participation of the transgender community in the mainstream.
The new ‘She-man’ station is part of the Aqua line that started functioning in January 2019, and is a busy link that connects the twin cities of Noida and Greater Noida. The NMRC plans to engage members of the transgender community in ticketing and other aspects of its function too.
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There will be gender-inclusive signposts installed across the station to raise awareness on transgender inclusivity amongst the public. The announcements will also be made in a way that helps sensitise the public towards this community. Other staff at NMRC will also undergo training to tackle issues concerning the community.
The move is similar to the one implemented for the Pink line stations in Delhi where an all-female staff has been deployed for various tasks and special facilities are provided to all women passengers.
The national capital is not the first city to take such a step. Two years back, the Kochi Metro Rail Limited in Kerala had taken a similar step by employing 23 people from the transgender community.
However, the name of the metro station ‘She-Man’ was up for debate, as trans people and people of the queer community pointed out that it was insensitive and very problematic. The tweets kept coming in & what was perceived as a positive attempt suddenly came in the negative light.
What exactly is a ‘she-man’? It’s a crude joke, a trans-phobic word; it’s not an identity but an insult.
Go beyond putting tags to support a community, or best ask people in the community before taking a decision. https://t.co/h9BgHPSaI3
— aakash mehrotra 🌈 (@aakashmehrotra) June 20, 2020
@noidametrorail @rituias2003 kindly read this — this is the opinion of the trans community on the naming of a station of the Noida metro as ‘SHE MAN’. #SheMan pic.twitter.com/br3KZQSvBK
— m4marianne (@m4marianne) June 20, 2020
The decision by @noidametrorail @rituias2003 to call the sector 50 Noida metro station “she man” station is disgusting and derogatory to the very community it claims to be working for the welfare of
Please send an email to nmrcnoida@gmail.com asking them to reverse this decision
— @sapphic.in on IG (@sapphic_in) June 21, 2020