Notable transgender activist Akkai Padmashali today claimed that she fears being evicted from her rented house after she was denied a home loan by banks, which she claimed was because of her "sex".
"I am living in fear of being evicted from my rented house because of the lease period, which expires on June 28. I had approached the banks, but they have denied me a loan of Rs. 10 lakh because I am a transgender," she told PTI in Bengaluru.
Akkai Padmashali said she does not want to return as a sex worker and deserves to lead a dignified life.
She had shot to limelight by becoming the first transgender in Karnataka to have registered for marriage in January this year.
Akkai Padmashali married Vasu, who is also a renowned transgender activist, on January 20.
According to her, she raised two-thirds of money by using her mother's jewellery as collateral and with some help from her friends and crowd funding, but claims that she is short of Rs. 10 lakhs to buy a house.
Banks should come forward and provide the loan by setting a good example by not discriminating, Akkai Padmashali said.
"When defaulter Nirav Modi can avail of crores of rupees and run away from the country, why should not honest people get loan to buy house," she said.
She further said she has crossed many hurdles in her life by fighting for transgenders' rights, but wants to make a point to the society that even they can buy a house.
