Transgender persons and activists welcome Kerala State Youth Commission’s order which says that there should be a column for male, female and transgenders in college and work applications. The Commission had asked the government to make it compulsory for every employer – be it in government, public or private sector – to include a column for transgender persons. It had also asked universities to include such a column in their application forms.

Zara Sheikha, a transgender person who is an active member of Queerythm (a city-based group), lauds the move. “Most people, even some educated academicians, are not fully aware of who a transgender person is. The transgender community continues to face discrimination, and is forced to move outside Kerala. A friend of mine, despite having an M. Ed, has not got a job. The order will be an opportunity for transgender persons to introduce themselves to others, as an equal, a human being,” she says. Read more via Deccan Chronicle