No ‘third gender’ option in Government Order angers trans group

While landing government jobs has always been a struggle for transgenders in the country, a Government Order (GO), dated December 22, 2017, which was notified recently, now serves as a greater barrier for transpersons from across the state.

The GO, passed by the state government, offers no option of a third gender and categorises them under communities like Most Backward Class (MBC). It states, “The third gender candidates who do not possess any community certificate may be considered under MBC as per GO No 28,” and goes on to add, “The third gender candidates who belong to SC/SC(A)/ST communities and possess the community certificates may be considered as per their respective community.”

Trans persons from other communities other than the aforementioned ones, who possess certificates for the same, may be considered under their own community or MBC, whichever is advantageous to them, the order stated. While the order places them into communities, it also states that trans males can fall under the category of males, and trans females, under females. This has drawn flak from members of the transgender community who state that it is unacceptable. 

“We are a totally different gender. We do not want to be generalised as male and female. We already have our own share of struggles while trying to be accepted into any community, then why can’t the government ensure that rules are relaxed for members of our community?” queried Grace Banu, an activist who fights for the rights of transpersons. 

“While a GO was passed in 2016, which stated that we would be identified as ‘Third Gender’ apart from the Binary Gender System, and that we have the right to decide our self-identified gender as male, female or third gender, the new one has shattered our hopes of a separate gender,” she added.

Many members of the trans community have been struggling to change their ‘contract’ jobs to ‘permanent’ ones. Dr S Selvi Santhosam, a physiotherapist at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH), is one among them. 

“In the state, there are no separate reservations for a transgender. We struggle most of our lives trying to understand our bodies. By the time we even start considering the possibility of employment, it is too late to write many examinations, including the constable exam which have an age limit. We therefore demand not be classified under the general community,” said a transgender, who preferred anonymity.