Take steps to get bill on trans rights passed in LS: Madras HC

Chennai: Pointing out that the rights of transgender, who are facing severe stigma in the society, have to be protected, the Madras high court has said it is high time, the Union government took serious steps to get the Bill relating to protection of rights of transgender, passed.

Suo motu impleading the Union government as a party Respondent to the petition filed by a transgender, Justice N. Kirubakaran asked the central government to answer the queries as to when the Bill relating to protection of rights of transgender, which is pending for over 2 years, would be passed by the Lok Sabha and whether is it possible to consider transgender as a separate special group for the purpose of education, employment and other social benefits.

Petitioner, born as a female and after completing her school and college studies, since she could realise uncomfortable in identifying her as female gender, consulted a psychiatrist doctor, who found that she was suffering from ‘Gender Dysphoria”.

As per the doctor’s advice, she underwent sex re-assignment surgery and became a male. Thereafter, when he approached the authorities to change his sex and name in the certificates to that of male, the same was rejected. Therefore, he filed the present petition, said the petitioner.

Noting a report from the Apollo hospital, which stated that the petitioner, who was physically a female and psychologically a male, had undergone sex-reassignment surgery and became a male on August 27, 2016 and that he had also undergone all investigation and psycho-legal counseling, the judge said it was clear that the petitioner has been reassigned as a male and he underwent all investigation and psycho-legal counseling.

Therefore, as evident from the records and as certified by the doctor, he has become a full-fledged male both physically and psychologically. “In view of the above, the request of the petitioner to change his name and sex from Selvi to Selvam (name changed) in the education certificates has to be carried out by the authorities within four weeks,” the judge added and  posted to September 4, further hearing of the case. The Bill on protection of rights of transgender was introduced in 2014 and passed in Rajya Sabha in 2015.