Kinships During Crises: A Case Study of Nachchi Sex Workers in Sri Lanka Coping with the COVID-19 Pandemic

Nachchi, a self-identity used by a minority group in Sri Lanka, who can be described as both transgender and homosexual, is an under-researched group that is subjected to high levels of stigma and violence within in the country. During crisis situations, socially and economically marginalized groups such as the Nachchi are further pushed to the margins: the COVID-19 pandemic being a recent example. Recognizing the importance of documenting the challenges faced by this group during this pressing moment, this paper draws from a qualitative research study conducted in urban Sri Lanka in early 2021, to explore how the nature of kinships differ for Nachchi sex workers in contrast to cis-women sex workers. The findings are derived from a pilot sample of in-depth interviews conducted with four key informants and ten sex workers (including five cisgender women and five nachchi – all of whom engaged in either street, spa, or brothel-based sex work). An intersectional theoretical lens is used to examine how the Nachchi maneuvers the economic and health risks posed by the pandemic, through reliance on the “kinships” that are beyond the heteronormative biological unit of a family. In the absence of the support systems and safety nets that are available to cis-women sex workers (such as kinships and state welfare funds) Nachchi draw resilience from the kinships they have formed within the nachchi/queer community.