State government gives effect to the order of the High Court judgment on transgender identity and allows transgender persons to pick the gender they prefer for their transgender ID cards.
Thiruvananthapuram: Transgender persons will be able to identify themselves as man, woman, transman or transwoman, that is the gender they prefer, when using the newly-introduced online application process for transgender ID cards. The social justice department has opened the process of online application the other day.
This was made possible by a High Court judgment in July on a writ petition by an LGBTQIA+ organisation called Queerala and Zara Sheikha, a woman by trans-experience, challenging the previously existing process. Until that time, all transgender persons could only identify themselves as 'transgender' in the ID cards, even as some would want to be called a man or a woman. The court had directed the state government to take a decision on the issue in accordance with the Supreme Court judgement.
Though extremely happy, this should have happened right in the beginning, says Vihaan Peethambar, trans activist and Queerala Board member. "Compared to other states, Kerala has a competent social justice department and an open mindset to have dialogues on community issues. We should have been able to leverage on this and not wait for a court order to push this. The department can take out an important lesson from this. In the planning stages of an initiative, they need to make sure they are heeding to wholesome voices of the community and not restricting themselves to a few voices of the community."
He had written letters to the social justice department, and approached the State Transgender Justice Board. It did not help when some of the top officials in the department did not understand the need for self-identification. Former social justice director P.B. Nooh had asked DC then, "If a transgender person is called a male, or a female, then why issue a transgender ID card?" That this was against the spirit of the Supreme Court judgment as well as the transgender policy escaped some of the prominent voices in the community as well.
Now, the online process ensures the diversity of transgender community is respected. It has two rounds of verification, according to state TG cell project officer Syama S. Prabha. "The application documents sent to social justice directorate will be verified by the TG cell. Then it will be sent to social justice district offices, where District TG Justice Committees will screen the applications," she says.
