Transgenders come into their own with Aadhaar

Transgenders of the city have been given recognition as more than 'others',quite literally. With Aadhaar,the minority group members finally have proof marking their identity as a transgender

Transgenders of the city have been given recognition as more than ‘others’,quite literally. With Aadhaar,the minority group members finally have proof marking their identity as a transgender.

As many as 71 transgenders of Chandigarh have been grouped as a separate category under the gender head so far,in the Aadhar cards issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India(UIDAI). The separate category has been a part of the UIDAI project since its inception,making it probably the only project to have done so in the country.

“Social inclusion has been an important part of the Aadhaar project and declaring transgenders as a separate category is a provision for the same” said Keshani Anand Arora,Deputy Director General,UIDAI,Regional Center.

Story continues below this ad

Earlier,UIDAI had organised special camps for the group as well. “If we are asked,we are more than willing to organise more camps for transgenders” said Arora. Meanwhile,Aadhaar has been registered for 956 trangenders in Punjab,354 in Haryana and 256 in Himachal Pradesh.

” My voter ID mentions my gender as female,which I am not. But I did not have any other option that time. Through Aadhaar,I can be recognised as what I am in black and white” said Jassi,a transgender from Dadu Majra. Most of the other identity cards,like the PAN card and passport mention the gender of such people as male or female.

The move has been well appreciated by activists working for the LGBT community. “Such a move was never considered before and is welcomed” said Dhananjay Chauhan,President of Saksham trust,an NGO working for the rights of LGBT community.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram

Tags:
Aadhaar
chandigarh
transgender
Unique Identification Authority of India