Dhanam, a transgender individual with a female identity, is a post graduate student at the Social Initiative and Management (CSIM) in Chennai. “The Indian Constitution provides freedom in every sphere of life to both men and women. But it is clear that women get left behind in every field, particularly in issues related to reproductive health and sexuality. Sexuality is an important part of our lives – whether we explore, deny or celebrate it. I work to address issues of sex and sexuality and raise awareness on AIDS. I help train nurses to handle situations where women are detected with AIDS. It is difficult to say the least. I have so far taken 68 classes. Violence against women leaves women vulnerable to AIDS and this is the root cause that we need to address. Women on their part must articulate their problems and concerns. Silence is not always a virtue and silence does not always speak as is usually believed. Too many people are in the dark about AIDS because of this silence. We need to begin talking about the issue and about violence against women. I am particularly concerned about sex workers. Like other marginalised populations, sex workers often receive scant attention from both public health officials and researchers. The stigma attached to sex work make reliable data hard to come by. Limited studies done around the world in the more than two decades of the pandemic do not bear out the premise that sex work by itself contributes disproportionately to the spread of the virus. I know of a sex worker who was arrested by the police and raped. She committed suicide. We have taken up cudgels on her behalf – though she is dead. Many more organizations need to come forward to help sex workers gain rights. There needs to be tolerance of differences and compassion for another's struggle.”