The clinic, launched on January 29, 2021, in Narayanguda, provided essential services.
Hyderabad: The shutdown of Hyderabad's Mitr Clinic, India's pioneering transgender healthcare facility, has drawn the attention of US department of government efficiency (DOGE) head and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
In his disapproving and vindictive remark on the closure of transgender healthcare facility in Hyderabad, Musk said, "That’s what American tax dollars were funding."
Musk’s comment, on his X handle, implied that American tax money in the form of USAID was being “wasted” on a transgender healthcare facility in India.
It also attracted further global attention to the clinic and the impact that freezing of USAID has had on assistance programmes for vulnerable communities around the world.
The clinic, launched on January 29, 2021, in Narayanguda, provided essential services such as hormone therapy, mental health support, and HIV/AIDS prevention for the transgender community.
The shutdown has left many in Hyderabad without access to essential healthcare which has raised concerns about the reliance on external funding for community services.
Deepthi, a Dalit queer feminist activist, pointed out that such funding supports various marginalised groups, not just transgender people and questioned the contrast between US cutting social funding but continuing to spend on military operations abroad.
“Take that taxpayer money and do what? Build a wall between the US and Mexico? Would that be an appropriate use of that fund?” Deepthi said, adding, “Transgender people were legally recognised in India only a decade ago. Even basic rights take years to materialise. Women’s healthcare is still neglected, despite women being half the population. Trans people have an even longer road ahead, so of course we require foreign aid for this.”
The economic scale of US foreign aid places the funding into perspective. As per reports, the total US foreign assistance budget accounts for just over one per cent of US federal spending which amounts to approximately $72 billion annually.
In comparison, the US defence expenditure exceeds $800 billion a year, with allocations for overseas operations and arms procurement. For example, since October 2023, the US has provided at least $17.9 billion in military aid to Israel alone.
India receives a small portion of US aid, which averages around $119 million annually over the past two decades. The Mitr Clinic’s funding was a fraction of this which makes it a minor expense in broader budgetary terms. However, for those who relied on the clinic, the impact extends beyond these numbers.
Patricia, a Hyderabad resident, said the space provided more than just medical treatment. “Anyone could walk in, no matter their gender. STI testing at private labs costs over a thousand rupees. At Mitr, it was a fraction of that. But keeping the medical care aside, it also offered a space where you were treated as a person first,” said Patricia.
She described how the clinic had become a rare environment where people could be treated without judgment. “It is funny that one of the richest men in the world is commenting on wasting taxpayers' money that too for a humanitarian cause.”
Sandy, founder of the Mobbera Foundation, noted that the effects of the closure could extend to corporate funding as well. “This affects future funding too. Many companies supported initiatives like this for image-building and pinkwashing. Now, seeing aid pulled so suddenly, they might stop. Some have already scaled back their Pride campaigns and calendars. What happens next year, or the year after,” asked Sandy, adding, “While Mitr has closed, the government-run Maitri clinics are still operating. This is why the government must get more proactive. These private projects will come and go but the government-led actions will remain.”
