Waging a tough battle against HIV stigma

Hundreds of trophies, awards, and certificates adorn the shelves of a modest 1 BHK apartment that functions as the office of SIP+ at Periyar Nagar in Perambur, where S. Noori, its president, is busy attending phone calls and tending to visitors. “There are a lot more such accolades in those cardboard boxes; there’s no space to keep them,” the 74-year-old says, pointing to her “wall of honour”. Noori, a transgender woman, began SIP+ (South India Positive Network) in 2001 to help children, especially orphans, living with HIV. The organisation, which provides medical treatment, counselling, and educational support to such children, runs a home for them at Periyar Nagar. The home now houses about 50 inmates, most of whom are college-goers.

Born in Ramanathapuram, Noori has been living with HIV for the past 37 years. “I was diagnosed with the disease in 1987 and told that I would not live long. But look at me now. I am very healthy — I haven’t even had a fever or stomach upset all these years,” Noori says. But life was not kind to Noori in her early years. She lost her mother and two siblings at a very young age, and her father, too, when she was 18. Growing up as a transgender person meant she was often subjected to harassment and ostracism.

Making do with a pair of clothes

Matter-of-factly retelling the key events of her life that made her who she is today, Noori says, “I struggled a lot from ages 13 to 18. I only had one pair of clothes. I would wash it and wear it for a year. I was sexually exploited too.” After she turned 18, she ran away to Mumbai and found herself at home with the transgender community there. At the age of 31, she returned to Tamil Nadu.

Subsequently, she underwent a gender affirmation surgery — only it was no surgery. “Back then, we had no such facility. The practice was to do it without medicines or anaesthesia. I was held down and my private parts were cut off with a knife. For half-an-hour, I kept bleeding. Then, hot oil was poured over that area. The pain was unbearable.”

Noori was a sex worker for several years, but after she was diagnosed with AIDS, she volunteered with NGOs working for the welfare of those living with HIV. In 1998, she decided to start her own network — and SIP+ was born. “If someone has HIV, we give them counselling, housing, care, skill development, income generation assistance, and legal support. Whenever someone tests positive, we make sure that they don’t fall into the trap of misinformation and misconceptions.”

In 2003, she formed SIP Memorial Trust, in memory of Selvi, Indira, and Palani, three of her close friends who lost their lives to AIDS-related illnesses. A turning point in Noori’s life was when she found a two-day-old baby girl with HIV, who was dumped in a trash can near a hospital in Chennai in 2005. Soon, she became a mother to her and many others who were rescued and raised by her. “My daughter is now a college student,” Noori, who has studied till Class III, proudly proclaims.

Home for 200 children

Noori is building a home for about 200 children at Sholavaram, which is set to open in January 2025. SIP+, which has about 50 employees, also ran a Chennai Corporation shelter for transgender women in Chetpet — a first of its kind — but it had to pull out of it owing to funding issues, Noori says.

Published - November 24, 2024 10:30 pm IST