Based on the interviews and focus group session that we have conducted so far, we have found common themes that connect each story. 
 

​

Low Income

First of all, we found that most of the participants from the T-project shelter were from the low income group. They reside at the shelter because they were financially unequipped to afford their own house or denied a place to stay by their families. Although, our participants were resourceful to find solutions to cope with their financial woes by reaching out to governmental organisations such as SSO, MSC and the various Family Service Centres, most of them claimed that they could not commit to a long-term job due to health issues. Despite having intentions to find full-time jobs with a stable income, their perceived low self-efficacy prevented them from starting and committing to a proper job. 

​

"Insomnia..I cannot sleep for long time already, before I had diabetes. One-two hour I wake up again. Coupled with my medication, my entire body is now very weak and I cannot commit to a proper full-time job. " - Sofia

​

“I have low blood pressure and low blood count. This means that I can’t go to work, because anytime I can feel weak, giddy." - Dany 

​

"I am unfit for work because I have depression and wanted to commit suicide. I want to be Grab or Uber driver but with my mental condition, they can’t let me drive" - Linda

 

While some of them turn to part time jobs to alleviate their financial problems temporarily, most of them remain doing sex work full time. According to Sofia and Dany, sex work is a source of fast and easy money that they can get hold of immediately. This is problematic, because sex business operates upon demand-supply basis, therefore is not a sustainable source of income. Their willingness to do sex work over stable occupations also demonstrates their lack of financial and cultural capital necessary to change their impoverished condition.

​

” I have been doing this (sex work) for 16 years that I never thought of quitting it. Even if I have a proper job, I would not quit sex work. It's easy cash mah, one customer 50 dollars. Last time I had non-stop customers flooding in." - Sofia 

​

Due to the irregular income earned from sex work, most of our participants turn to CDC and MSF for financial and medical help. Our participants rationalise that while they use financial support from CDC to pay for their daily expenses (daily meals, transport and medication), they spend the money earned from sex work on more expensive commodities such as restaurant food, fashionable clothing or home decorations. In long run, this exacerbates their financial problem because the participants develop over-reliance and excessive dependency on the external financial help they receive from CDC that inhibits them from learning to take care of themselves. Coupled with the lack of saving habits, our participants lack long-term financial planning skills that would allow them to break through the poverty cycle. 

​

"CDC and MSF help me, so everyday I let myself have my favorite juice because I love it” - Dany 

​

"I spend all my money from sex work on shopping, clothes and home decorations so I don't have a habit to save money. I also buy expensive meals from McDonalds to treat myself. It's okay because every month CDC got give me 400 dollars as financial support so I can spend that money on medicine, food and transport to see my counselor." - Sofia 

​

 

Additionally, they experience levels of material hardship as well. For example one of our interviewees, Kim, mentioned that prior to living in the shelter, she tended to skip dinner because she did not have enough money to pay for food. Sofia on the other hand, claimed that she could afford more expensive meals, such as McDonalds, with the money she earns from sex work. Dany, too, spends a portion of her income on juice, a "luxury" that she tries to afford everyday. However, their perception of McDonalds and juice as "expensive" and "luxurious" commodities highlights the monetary inequality faced by transgender community in relation to the rest of Singapore's population. 

​

  

Negative Stigmatisation and harassment

Based on our interviews, we found out from our participants that members of society still perceived them as sexual predators and mentally unsound. In fact, we have personal stories told by members of the shelter themselves whereby men would be more “touchy” with them as opposed to other girls. Very often, these girls also face sexual harassment and abuse from men because of this misguided perception. For example, Kim, talked about how there was a period of time where she received harassment from her colleagues because of her sexual orientation. She was continuously approached by strange men on the road who would mistake her for being a prostitute. Dany also expressed with great sadness that she was approached by 16 men and raped by 8 simply because of her appearance. Worst still, in the face of these traumatic experiences, both of the interviewees could not turn to their family for comfort.

​

"One of the boss ask me to be in charge of the dinner service, his worker I don’t like, always try to disturb me. Because Korean men like to drink, he try to touch me.” - Kim 

​

" We are rubbish. They never treat us like human, they treat us like rubbish" - Linda 

​

Our participants hoped that through this project, members of society can become more open-minded towards the transgender community in Singapore. According to Linda, sex work does not define the transgender community, and she hopes that more people can reduce their preconceived opinions and personal prejudices to get to know the T-shelter participants more personally.

 

"To outside people, we look all the same. They have a perception that all transgenders are prostitutes. But not all of us do sex work, and sex-work is not the only thing that defines us." - Linda 

​

Sofia added that it is still common to have people avert their gaze from you, or even stare at you with judgmental looks. Therefore, she urged that more could be done to change the attitude and treatment, especially by the older generation towards the trans people.

​

 

Difficulty in seeking family acceptance

As a result of the stigma that is associated with transgenderism, it is disheartening to know that transgenders experience rejection at the hands of their loved ones. During our interviews, our girls shared their experiences of how family members always treated them with hostility and aggression because they were unable to accept them. Family ties were vulnerable and they shared how they were unable to develop a close and stable relationship with some of their family members, or extended family members. In light of family dejection and the lack of a loving environment, this led to the situation in which many of our participants were chased out of their homes or decided to leave to prevent further conflict in their households, given that some supported them and others did not. 

 

"Whenever my parents would bring my brothers and sisters out they would lock me in the house... I grew up all alone in a 4-room flat. At 16 my mother left me in a boys’ home and I had to go out and work.” - Dany 

​

" Many years ago, my family blamed me for my grandmother’s death. After that I was chased out of the house. I packed my luggage and went to hotel 81. Till now, I can only meet my mother at the void deck and can't step into my family's house." - Linda

​

 

High barriers to employment & housing

For the participants that were more motivated to find jobs, some explained to us that they were unable to find a sustainable job that would accept them because of the fact that they were a transgender. Upon seeing them in person during the job interviews, Linda recalled that she was rejected several times because they expected a man to turn up due to her IC stating that she was a male. Although SSO has opened more job opportunities for the transgendered community, they did talk about how it was difficult to sustain a job because of some of their co-workers held preconceived notions and biases against them. Likewise, Linda also explained that she found it extremely challenging to file for housing applications because of the strict pre-requisites of having 2 same gendered individuals living under one roof. For Linda’s case, she was not too fond with the idea of living with another man because of her personal trauma.

​

​" It is very hard to find house outside because no one wants to share with me. They don't want to share the flat with me because of my sexual orientation and how different I am. Especially women, they will never accept me." - Linda