Horrific propaganda campaign claims coronavirus is spread by talking to transgender people
Transgender activists and their supporters take part in a candle light vigil held as part of Transgender Day of Remembrance. (MANJUNATH KIRAN/AFP via Getty Images)
The LGBT+ community in Hyderabad, India, have expressed shock over posters erected across the city claiming coronavirus is spread by speaking to trans people.
The highly offensive posters – which read “If you talk to transgenders, you will get corona” – were spotted in Ameerpet Metro Station, Raj Bhavan road and Banjara Hills Road, the New Indian Express reports.
“This is shocking,” local trans activist Chandramukhi said.
“We first saw the posters just before lockdown and informed the Banjara Hills police. We urge the police to use CCTV footage and nab those spreading hate.”
Trans activist wants police to use CCTV footage to track down the offender who erected the transphobic posters about coronavirus.
Chandramukhi has said that the trans community is already more vulnerable to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, and the posters are making their lives even harder at an already challenging time.
In a recent letter to the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Chandramukhi said the trans community in India was struggling to access food security, housing, a steady income and healthcare even before the pandemic hit.
We first saw the posters just before lockdown and informed the Banjara Hills police. We urge the police to use CCTV footage and nab those spreading hate.
Activists are hopeful that police will find out who erected the harmful posters in the city and that they will face repercussions. There are currently more than 1,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus in India.
The global COVID-19 pandemic continues to worsen.
The transphobic posters come as the pandemic continues to worsen across the world. There are now more than 700,000 confirmed cases across the world and more than 30,000 people have died from the virus.
Countries across the world are battling the virus through physical distancing guidelines, and many more have gone into full lockdown in an effort to stem the spread.
Meanwhile, the United States now has the most confirmed cases of any country in the world, where there are more than 140,000 confirmed cases. A top medical advisor recently suggested that as many as 200,000 people in the U.S. could die as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
