Gender, Law & the Difference Clinic - Part 1 (2016-17)
In collaboration with Alliance India, Multiple Action Research Group (MARG) and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ)
The first part of this year-long clinical course was conducted in collaboration with Alliance India, Multiple Action Research Group (MARG) and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ). A joint endeavour, the teaching format and designing of the curriculum was developed in consultation with the partner organisations and the first half of the clinic was dedicated to equipping students with a historical and contextual understanding of the landscape of transgender rights in India and the background to the landmark decision of the Supreme Court in NALSA v. Union of India. This was followed with a pilot conducted a two-day legal literacy workshop for 10 transgender activists in collaboration with Transgender Welfare, Equity and Empowerment Trust (TWEET), Multiple Action Research Group (MARG), the HIV/AIDS Alliance and the International Commission of Jurists.
The learnings from the workshop were used towards developing a Handbook on Rights of Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Persons in India, and published in collaboration with Alliance India, Multiple Action Research Group (MARG) and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ).
This handbook has been instrumental in creating dialogue and discourse on the status of Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming persons in India, equipping them with the information advocate their right to equal protection under the law. It is also used by activists, scholars and civil society members to disseminate information of the legal rights of transgender and gender non-conforming persons.
Gender, Law & the Difference Clinic - Part 2 (2017-18)
In collaboration with Alliance India, Multiple Action Research Group (MARG) and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ)
In continuation of the developments and advances made through engagement with students and members of the transgender community during the course of the clinic in the past year, this year long course introduced a new batch of students to the legal landscape governing the rights if trans and gender non-conforming persons in India.
As a collaborative effort between Alliance India, Multiple Action Research Group (MARG) and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), we also facilitated a second round of the legal literacy workshop to further develop capacities on ground as well as published the Hindi translation of the Handbook: Rights of Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming People in India to ensure that the resource guide could be made more accessible to persons working at the grassroots level.
In 2018, the second workshop was organised with a second set of clinical students and the manual was updated and translated in Hindi.
Certificate Course
In collaboration with Love Matters India and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ)
Following the two successful workshops, in May 2019, CJLS organized the first-of-its-kind fully funded certificate course titled Human Rights of Transgender, Intersex and Gender-Diverse People. This course was conducted in collaboration with Love Matters India (LMI) and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ). The course was held on campus for 5 days and saw participation from 20 activists, with seven from the Northeast. Moreover, the course was taught by JGU faculty, advocates from Delhi, as well as transgender activists from around the country. The workshops during the course endeavoured to provide a safe space for empowerment and constructive engagement with the concrete realities of the law. For transgender, intersex and gender diverse people to be able to effectively claim the enforcement of their rights or redressal in the event of a rights violation, the law must be deconstructed into clear and concrete terms that are accessible to the community. The course covered key aspects of constitutional law, criminal law, right to information, and legal gender recognition. Significantly, a majority of the faculty members leading the various workshops identified as transgender or gender-diverse themselves.
Workshops
In addition to these sessions, the course also aimed to provide a space for transgender, intersex and gender-diverse people from around the country to network with one other and learn from each other’s experiences. In order to facilitate this, cultural programmes, movie screenings and special dinners took place throughout the four days. The participants were able to learn about the law and its application in their daily lives, as well as enjoy their time at Jindal and build lasting relationships. Students are extremely involved in the planning and implementation of these workshops. Some students have graduated and gone on to represent trans clients in the courts, with one recently successfully litigating a case where a transwoman petitioned the court to be able to register with the Tamil Nadu Nurses and Midwives Council (TNNMC). We have also received feedback from participants of the workshops themselves on how they have been able to engage in capacity-building within their own communities using the skills and peer networks they developed from the workshops. During our May 2019 Course, we invited a former participant and India’s first trans gender lawyer to conduct a few sessions. By having graduates of our Course return to facilitate legal empowerment and training for other trans activists, we are able to create a sustainable model that keeps Trans movements at the heart of what we do. This course saw 25 grassroots trans activist and 70 percent of our faculty were trans activists and scholars.
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