Transwoman aspires to be English teacher

Overcoming all odds, Sreeja and Arunkumar married on October 31, 2018 at a Sivan temple in Thoothukudi. After months of struggle, the couple finally through legal battle succeeded in their attempts to register their marriage.

Sreeja, a second-year undergraduate student of the VOC College in Thoothukudi, initially wanted to pursue medicine, but owing to poor economic conditions of her family, opted to become a teacher.

"Transgender marriages often end up broken within a short period. However, we took pains and obtained a marriage certificate for a long-lasting life," Sreeja said. Earlier after wedding, the Registrar office authorities refused to certify the marriage citing involvement of the transgender. The couple then moved Madras High Court in Madurai through Legal Aid organization and filed writ petition under Article 226 of the Constitution of India seeking direction to register the marriage. Much to relief, the Court ordered on April 22, 2019 that the marriage solemnized between a male and a transwoman, both professing Hindu religion, was a valid marriage in terms of Section 5 of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 and the Registrar of Marriage was bound to register it, the transwoman recalled.

Arunkumar, a technician on contractual basis with Railways, said his family did not accepted their marriage thinking that Sreeja could not conceive a baby.

"Now, with this inter-caste marriage being legally recognised, we can at least stand a chance of adopting a child," he said.