Gender Change in Dehradun: It is absolutely legal in Dehradun to undergo gender change or sex reassignment surgery (SRS). Licensed Medical Professionals are approved to perform this surgery.

After decades of struggle, Transgender individuals were finally given the right to liberally identify as male, female or other genders in 2014 by the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) of The Supreme Court of Dehradun.

Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS) might have got legal authorization, but it is still noted that gender change is still very challenging in most of the communities or societies in Dehradun.

Need of Gender Change in Dehradun

It is observed that many individuals are born with sex (male or female) either contrary to their physical appearance or does not connect with their hormonal emotionality. This misbalance of nature makes such individuals feel trapped in an out-of-sync body.

This ailment is known as Gender Dysphoria. Hormone Therapy and Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS) are typical treatments for this disorder.

Although very few professionals are allowed to treat this disorder in Dehradun, there are legal professionals worldwide to provide such services.

Documents Required for Gender Change in Dehradun

Due to the vast diversity and divided governance in Dehradun, the process for gender change may vary from state to state.

Here are some general requirements to be fulfilled for legal Gender Change in Dehradun:-

Certificate of medical :

An official medical certificate from a licensed medical professional confirming that an individual has undergone hormone therapy or Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS).

Affidavit:

An Affidavit that contains the individual’s name, address and identity.

Individuality proof:

Aadhar Card, Passport or PAN Card as identity proof.

Address proof:

Rental Agreement, Bank statement or convenience Bill for address proof.

Passport size photo:

Individual’s passport-size picture.

It is important to take a consultant from a friendly LGBTQ+ lawyer to have full insight into all the processes and requirements to be fulfilled for Gender Change.

Procedure to Publish Public Gazette Notification

Publishing a Gazette is completely optional in Dehradun. However, it can benefit future events, such as updating passports and official documents with proof. Following are the steps to publish a Public Gazette Notification:-

Gender change Affidavit:

Firstly, an individual has to prepare an Affidavit stating that they have changed their identity. This includes the individual’s old name and new gender identity.

Notarization of Affidavit:

After preparing the Affidavit, it has to be further notarized by a notary public.

Submission to District Magistrate:

An individual has to submit that notarized Affidavit to the District Magistrate or Sub-Division Magistrate (SDM) of the district. Once submitted, the SDM or District Magistrate review the Affidavit and may request additional information or document if required.

4. News paper publication

In order to change your gender, news paper publication is important. In newspaper you have to stated that you have changed your name

5. Obtain a copy of the Gazette Notification:

After the complete review and approval of the Affidavit, a Gazette notification will be published in the Official Gazette of Dehradun stating the individual has changed their identity. After publication, a copy of the Gazette notification can be obtained from the Department of Publication.

Publishing a Gazette Notification can give proof to one’s identity.

Benefits of Gender Change in Dehradun

Gender Change can bring glorious changes in an individual’s life, which is considered as Transgender, non-Binary or Gender not confirmed. However, it completely depends on the individual’s lifestyle, whether to undergo Gender Change or not.

Given below are a few benefits of Gender Change in Dehradun:-

Mental Health:

The distress caused by the disbalance of one’s gender identity and the identity assigned at birth can be treated by Hormone Therapy or Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS). This results in bringing mental peace in one’s life.

Better Health Care:

With the help of Gender Change, it becomes easy for an individual to access medical support according to their correct gender identity.

Legal Protection:

Gender Change is protected under the Law of Dehradun, and thus, one can be saved from ill-treatment such as Social harassment, Racism and violence.

Acceptance in Society:

Once the individual is comfortable in their own skin, they build self-love and strengthen their bond with society.

Preparation for sex reassignment surgery (SRS)

Medical Professional Consultant:

For initiating sex reassignment surgery (SRS), it is important to consult a skilled medical professional first. Professionals may include psychiatrists, urologists and endocrinologists. They determine the individual’s medical history and advise what is best for them.

Hormone Therapy:

After being consulted by professionals, individuals usually undergo hormone therapy to align their hormones with their identity. This therapy prepares an individual’s body for surgery.

Psychological assessment:

Before going through surgery, the individual is examined by a psychiatrist to determine whether they are mentally and emotionally prepared for the surgery.

Physical training:

After psychological assessment, the individual is then trained to make some changes in their way of living so as to prevent complications during the surgery, such as avoiding alcohol, smoking, putting down weight and so on.

Monetary preparation:

Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS) could be comparatively more expensive than any other basic surgery. Not all the insurance plan cover such Surgery. Thus, it is relevant to be financially prepared to pay all the bills generated during the surgery.

Hiring a qualified surgeon:

One should choose a qualified surgeon who has experience in performing Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS). Exploration of the medical sector and reading the reviews of other satisfied patients is necessary before choosing a surgeon.

Challenges Faced by Gender Change in Dehradun

Gender reassignment is a challenging and difficult process in Dehradun. Here is why:-

Scarcity of medical healthcare:

There is limited access to healthcare services for transgender individuals, due to which these individuals might sometimes have to follow very long distance to seek help for surgeries like gender reassignment.

Social humiliation:

In Dehradun, there are still places where transgender individuals are not accepted by the society. Mainly it is observed that individuals are detested by their own family.

Economic Challenges:

Because of racism in society, education, housing and employment, transgender individuals face poverty and lack in accessing legal medical services.

Shortage of Awareness:

Many people are not aware of the rights provided by the law of Dehradun for the transgender, which leads to misunderstanding and discrimination of the rights of such individuals.

Alternative Options for Gender Transition In Dehradun

Changing an individual’s name legally according to their physical appearance to determine their gender identity can be a significant step towards gender transformation. This helps in giving Legal recognition to their identity.

The social transition may include changing of name, and changing pronunciation as per their comforted identity. This may help in transforming Gender, but it is not legal.

Conclusion

So far, Dehradun has developed somewhat of awareness across the country about Gender Change. There is still a long way to go for the complete liberty of this sensitive topic. Gender transition facilities are still falling short as there are very few certified professionals to perform such surgeries. There are many medical agencies which are unable to understand such cases regarding the third gender and ultimately fail to provide services to them.

Also, mainly transgender individuals lack financial stability due to the least societal cooperation regarding their education and employment.

It is important to create awareness among the societies and communities to respect every human and let them grow no matter who and what they are.