Gender Change in Thane: Gender change in the view of the Thane Government is a legal thing with the legal process which is processed through various documents and verification by the government. Transgenders have faced a lot of difficulties in the past. Due to acceptance by most of society day by day, the cases of gender change are growing.

As a person can change his religion or caste; an individual can also change his/her gender irrespective of his/her background only if all the health circumstances are fit for it. The Thane government has given them the right to choose his/her gender and they should not be criticized or discriminated from society, if so, then strict action will be taken against them.

It is a bit long process which might take 60-70 business days for document verification, processing, verifying their documents, and giving permission for gender change. T

he government of Thane also gives health support to people who are willing to change their gender, through HIV surveillance centers, gender affirmation surgery, hormonal therapy, and regular counseling under the Transgender Person Act and Section 15 act.

Before knowing the steps to take permission from the government for gender change one must know the medical process of it. One must think about whether it is suitable for their body, and whether can they undergo such surgeries to change their gender. Changing gender is a strong decision as one has to face their family, friends, society, etc.

Documents needed for gender change application

Copy of Aadhar/ Voter ID/ Passport and two photographs with self-attestation.
Newspaper publication where your gender change has been announced.
Letter of request and registration fee.
Specimen proforma signed by two witnesses and the applicant.
Declaration statement letter that all the submitted documents are true.

Procedure for Gender Change in Thane

Gender change affidavit

Once an individual decides to change his/her gender they can create an affidavit by filling in all the basic required fields like name, address, parent detail, contact information, etc. All the information should be true as mentioned in your documents such as Aadhaar, voter ID, etc.

Publishing

A short notice or article stating that you are going through gender change should be published in a regional or any recognized newspaper.

Documents

All the documents should be verified, signed, and submitted along with the affidavit proceeding with the fee payment.

Publication in Gazette

Gazette means a magazine from the government published by every state and central government. After that approval will be sent through e-Gazette which may take 50-60 working days. You will receive a notification of confirmation through your registered mail or phone number.

After you receive notification of approval you may proceed with your medication and change of gender in other documents. You may go to the official website like the uidai website for Aadhaar updating, the NSDL website for Pan card updating, etc.

What is meant by ‘Gender Change’?

Gender change means a person desires to change himself/herself into the opposite sex through medical surgery. It is to reshape their body to look like the opposite sex. The main surgery is for his/her reproductive organs, which will be removed and modified surgically through proper treatment and medication which leads to gender change. Before surgery, proper document verifications have to be done. If an individual like to see and behave themselves as the opposite gender then they can undergo such surgery if they aspire to decide so.

Gender Change Surgery

Surgery should be done by specialists who have high-end experience in this field to avoid failure of it. This is painful and may cost between 2 lakhs to 8 lakhs. Before surgery, the particular person should be tested whether it is safe for him/her. Does it cause no side effects in the future? Will it be easy on them or not? After verifying all the health issues in them it should be done further.

An Individual having Diabetes, asthma, or HIV will not be able to get the surgery done as it may cause some health issues in the future. This can be performed only for those who are more than 18 years of age. One should be aware that this is an irreversible process. Once gender change surgery is done it cannot be reversed in any way. They may also be asked to follow lifelong therapies to maintain their gender transformation.

Following are the surgeries done for gender change

Gender Affirmation Surgery (GAS)

It includes changing an individual’s sexual characteristics and physical appearance. Gender Affirmation Surgery can also be called Sex Reassignment surgery (SRS), Gender Confirmation surgery (GCS), and by more names.

Male-to-female sex reassignment surgery

It is a feminization surgery. It is a type of sex reassignment surgery where a male is transferred into a female surgically. In this surgery, the penis of a male is used to convert into neo-vagina to replace his male reproductive organs with female reproductive organs. it also includes reduction of male-like appearance such as reducing muscles, no facial hair, voice change, development of female appearance like female waistline, breast, etc. This is done after giving anesthesia.

Breast Augmentation

It includes the implantation of the breast by fat grafting. It should be done by highly skilled surgeons. This is a common procedure for male-to-female reassignment surgery.

Facial Feminization Surgery (FFS)

It includes re-shaping facial bones, muscles, and organs to make a male face look like a female’s. It also includes the removal of facial hair permanently. It is a kind of plastic surgery. Replacing your original face with a different new face may be successful or failure cannot be predicted. It may take a week to recover.

Orchiectomy

It includes the removal of the testis resulting in the elimination of testosterone production which is a male sexual hormone.

Vaginoplasty

It includes creating a neo-vagina in the place of male external reproductive organs. it needs post-operative care. A person should be able to bear all the pain caused by it.

Voice Feminization surgery

Voice Feminization surgery is done by shortening the length of vocal cords. Which makes a change in voice to be similar to that of a female’s voice.

Female to male sex reassignment surgery

It is a type of sex reassignment surgery where a female is transferred into a male surgically. In this surgery, the vagina of the female is used to convert into a penis to replace her female reproductive organs with male reproductive organs. It also includes reduction of female-like appearance such as reducing breast size, development of facial hair, voice change, development of male appearance like muscle development, and changing waistline. All female reproductive organs such as ovaries, fallopian tubes, and uterus have to be removed. This is done after giving anesthesia.

Chest restructuring

Chest restructuring is a procedure to remove breast tissues to reduce it. It is also followed by giving testosterone therapy to grow hair on the chest.

Hysterectomy

Surgery to remove the uterus and cervix.

Metoidioplasty

It is a method to construct a new penis by replacing the clitoris.

It includes a vaginectomy, done for the removal of the vagina.

Phalloplasty

Phalloplasty involves taking skin from other parts of the body like the back, thigh, and abdomen to form a new penis. It also includes lengthening of the urethra.

These surgeries also include hormone replacement therapy for a person who is willing to change gender.

These surgeries may be risky and can need many days to recover. Hence before deciding to gender change go through all the risks and difficulties you should face in the future.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the concept of gender change in Thane has experienced significant progress, but it continues to be a complex and evolving issue. While legal reforms and societal awareness have created a more inclusive environment for transgender and non-binary individuals, there are still substantial challenges that need to be addressed.