/popdiaries/media/media_files/2025/03/04/OlYqnx7Ygz6zbBFR1cPw.png)
Follow Us
Ever since Donald Trump has been elected as the President, he has been taking decisions affecting non American citizens and other countries. On January 20, Trump signed an executive order effectively “pausing” US foreign development assistance for 90 days. This decision has affected many countries that had been receiving help from America.
Even India has been affected by Trump’s decision, shutting down three clinics providing services to the transgender community. These clinics were funded by the US Agency for International Development. Four days after Trump's executive order, the country's first major transgender health clinic, Mitr Clinic in Hyderbad, closed on January 24. Reacting to this news, Elon Musk said, "That’s what American tax dollars were funding.”
That’s what American tax dollars were funding https://t.co/E4IQSoj9NV
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 28, 2025
Mitr Clinic’s budget was Rs 2 lakh per month, and almost all of it was covered by the USAID funds. The clinic consisted of five staff members, including a doctor, a nurse-cum-lab assistant, a counsellor and two community mobilisers.
The other clinics that had been shut down were in Kalyan and Pune. All these clinics offered services like hormone therapy guidance and medication, mental health counseling, HIV and STI support, legal aid, and general medical care.
/popdiaries/media/post_attachments/f4c15a7e-2ee.jpg)
A transwoman who worked as a consultant at the clinic, said, “We were told overnight that the clinic will cease to function.” She further said, “The gender affirmation services constituted just 1% of our clientele. We worked on basic healthcare for the trans-community, who are otherwise ostracised in the society, and also HIV care in a major way.” “The US President’s policy is one against transpersons, and we are facing the brunt of it, along with the trans-community in the rest of the world”, she added.
/popdiaries/media/post_attachments/media/Gjbgk6xWEAA80qA-722230.jpg)
Another transwoman, Vyjayanti Vasanta Mogli, said, “As an end-user at the clinic, I am devastated. All services used to be offered at subsidised rates.”
The clinic's employees, who lost their jobs overnight, are now looking for work at other hospitals in the city. They are also seeking assistance from the Telangana government. Mitr's supporters hope the government will also subsidize their clinic, one of 33 transgender clinics in the state.