It is the right of every human being to choose their gender

In the Tip Jar to my Tuesday evening diary I mentioned that the India Supreme Court has recognized transgender as a third gender.

The ruling of the two-judge panel was written by Justice. K. S. Radhakrishnan.

Transgenders are citizens of this country ... and recognition as a third gender is not a social or medical issue but a human rights issue.

—Radhakrishnan

Radhakrishnana was thus appealing to Article 15 of India’s Constitution, which declares that no state can discriminate against citizens on the basis of race, caste, religion or sex.

Opinions differ among transpeople about the wisdom and/or desirability of being named a third gender.  The majority of us want to be recognized as the gender we transition into.

But reality on the ground in India is that because transgender people had no legal recognition, we have been ostracized, abused and discriminated against to the point of often being forced to choose between prostitution or begging in order to survive.