India’s first trans clinic reopens after being targeted by Trump’s USAID cuts
A person holding a trans flag. (Getty)
A person holding a trans flag. (Getty)
India’s first trans clinic has reopened after being hit by cuts made by the Trump administration to the US Agency for International Development (USAID) budget.
USAID funding freezes forced India’s Mitr Clinic to close in January, disrupting critical services for transgender people in three of the country’s largest cities.
Six months later, the clinic has reopened as the Sabrang Clinic, with support from the Tata Trusts. It “provides a safe and inclusive environment, free from prejudice and stigmatisation, where trans individuals can access a wide range of services”.
According to a report in The Hindu, the clinic’s Subash Ghosh said: “Once the USAID issue happened, we had to shut down operations. But we reached out to several philanthropic organisations and individuals and now Tata Trusts is supporting us.”
The clinic, which originally opened in Hyderabad in 2021, was the first in India to be entirely staffed and managed by members of the trans community. “From doctors to clinic managers, everyone is from the community. Over 3,000 patients have been served since the clinic started,” Ghosh added.
@pinknews India's first transgender clinic has reopened after being forced to close due to the Trump administration's USAID cuts. In January, a USAID funding freeze forced India’s Mitr Clinic to close, disrupting critical services for trans people across the country. Six months later, the clinic has reopened as the Sabrang Clinic, allowing India’s estimated one million trans people to receive lifesaving care once again. According to its website, the Sabrang Clinic 'provides a safe and inclusive environment, free from prejudice and stigmatization, where transindividuals can access a wide range of services'. #india #transrights #trumpadministration #usaid #genderaffirmingcare #lgbtqia ♬ Epic Music(863502) – Draganov89
Trump’s efforts to gut USAID prompted UK LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall to undergo an organisation-wide consultation, resulting in staff cuts. The Washington Post reported that the agency, which employed 10,000 people, had been “whip-sawed by aid freezes, personnel purges and confusion”.
Writing on his social media platform X/Twitter, Elon Musk described the agency as a “viper’s nest of… Marxists who hate America”, while Trump called its leaders “a bunch of radical lunatics”.
Musk also tweeted a claim that USAID “funded bioweapon research, including COVID-19, that killed millions of people”. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt even accused the agency of funding “a transgender opera” in Colombia.
In fact, USAID provides assistance to developing countries, focusing on economic growth, health, environment, and democracy and governance. It also plays a key role in humanitarian aid and disaster relief.
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