New Delhi, Gender is a choice we all have the right to make, said members of the LGBTQIA+ community while praising the Union government for approving an IRS official's request to change her name and affirm her gender in official records.
M Anusuya, a 2013 batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer currently serving as Joint Commissioner in the Chief Commissioner's Office in Hyderabad, will now be known as M Anukathir Surya. The officer also got his gender affirmed from female to male.
According to an official order from the Ministry of Finance, dated July 9, 2024, the official made the formal request to reflect her true gender identity.
The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs has said that the authority considered the official's request and "henceforth, the official will be recognized as Mr. Anukathir Surya in all official records." The order was issued with the approval of the competent authority, he said.
Community members praised the government for what they said was a "very serious" step towards inclusion.
Sharif D Rangnekar, an author who identifies as gay, said it is a "welcome step" and hoped it would set a precedent in government offices and departments in the country.
"At the end of the day, the government is perhaps the largest employer of Indians. So when you set an example of recognizing a person's sexuality, gender and choices, then you are taking a very serious step towards inclusion.
"In that context, it is an important decision and should be welcomed," said Rangnekar, a former journalist and author of "Straight to Normal: My Life as a Gay Man."
A similar bureaucratic precedent is that of Aishwarya Rutuparna Pradhan, who works for the Odisha Financial Service and legally changed her gender identity to the "third gender" in 2015.
Pradhan, a 38-year-old transgender woman, now known as India's first transgender civil servant, is a commercial tax officer in the Odisha Department of Financial Services (OFS).
Ratikanta Pradhan was her name when she joined the SFO. Pradhan later changed her gender identity following the 2014 Supreme Court judgment, which recognized transgender people as a third gender.
In its 2014 judgment, also known as the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), the apex court ruled that people from the transgender community have the right to self-identify their sexual orientation.
Film director Onir, who is openly gay and a strong supporter of LGBTQIA+ rights, called the landmark decision a "precious step" toward creating an equal society.
"Another precious step towards being a society that believes we are all equal. That can celebrate our diverse identities and believe that empathy/inclusion and diversity should be appreciated," he said on X.
Thanking the government for her historic decision was also Delhi-based transgender Naaz Joshi, winner of multiple beauty pageants.
She reiterated that gender is not assigned by birth and the right to choose one's gender is legal in the country.
"With the help of the national transgender portal one can request gender change without asking questions. I see it (the government's decision) as a progressive move, their request has been accepted and honestly, gender does not define anyone's productivity. " she added.
Rangnekar, however, said there is still a long way to go for the LGBTQIA+ community in the "male-dominated and patriarchal system of governance".
She maintained that most people are still afraid to go out and assert themselves due to the multiple risks, be it violence, hatred, losing their job or economic independence, among others.
To support his point, he referred to Accenture's 2020 "Visible Growth; Invisible Fears" report, which reveals how up to "57 percent" of employees believe their gender identity/expression or sexual orientation has slowed their progress in the job.
"In a hostile environment, there are many who would prefer to remain silent about their sexuality or their gender, even if they are going through the gender affirmation process that they are going through and going through medications and all kinds of mental health problems." he said.
M Anusuya, a 2013 batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer currently serving as Joint Commissioner in the Chief Commissioner's Office in Hyderabad, will now be known as M Anukathir Surya. The officer also got his gender affirmed from female to male.
According to an official order from the Ministry of Finance, dated July 9, 2024, the official made the formal request to reflect her true gender identity.
The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs has said that the authority considered the official's request and "henceforth, the official will be recognized as Mr. Anukathir Surya in all official records." The order was issued with the approval of the competent authority, he said.
Community members praised the government for what they said was a "very serious" step towards inclusion.
Sharif D Rangnekar, an author who identifies as gay, said it is a "welcome step" and hoped it would set a precedent in government offices and departments in the country.
"At the end of the day, the government is perhaps the largest employer of Indians. So when you set an example of recognizing a person's sexuality, gender and choices, then you are taking a very serious step towards inclusion.
"In that context, it is an important decision and should be welcomed," said Rangnekar, a former journalist and author of "Straight to Normal: My Life as a Gay Man."
A similar bureaucratic precedent is that of Aishwarya Rutuparna Pradhan, who works for the Odisha Financial Service and legally changed her gender identity to the "third gender" in 2015.
Pradhan, a 38-year-old transgender woman, now known as India's first transgender civil servant, is a commercial tax officer in the Odisha Department of Financial Services (OFS).
Ratikanta Pradhan was her name when she joined the SFO. Pradhan later changed her gender identity following the 2014 Supreme Court judgment, which recognized transgender people as a third gender.
In its 2014 judgment, also known as the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), the apex court ruled that people from the transgender community have the right to self-identify their sexual orientation.
Film director Onir, who is openly gay and a strong supporter of LGBTQIA+ rights, called the landmark decision a "precious step" toward creating an equal society.
"Another precious step towards being a society that believes we are all equal. That can celebrate our diverse identities and believe that empathy/inclusion and diversity should be appreciated," he said on X.
Thanking the government for her historic decision was also Delhi-based transgender Naaz Joshi, winner of multiple beauty pageants.
She reiterated that gender is not assigned by birth and the right to choose one's gender is legal in the country.
"With the help of the national transgender portal one can request gender change without asking questions. I see it (the government's decision) as a progressive move, their request has been accepted and honestly, gender does not define anyone's productivity. " she added.
Rangnekar, however, said there is still a long way to go for the LGBTQIA+ community in the "male-dominated and patriarchal system of governance".
She maintained that most people are still afraid to go out and assert themselves due to the multiple risks, be it violence, hatred, losing their job or economic independence, among others.
To support his point, he referred to Accenture's 2020 "Visible Growth; Invisible Fears" report, which reveals how up to "57 percent" of employees believe their gender identity/expression or sexual orientation has slowed their progress in the job.
"In a hostile environment, there are many who would prefer to remain silent about their sexuality or their gender, even if they are going through the gender affirmation process that they are going through and going through medications and all kinds of mental health problems." he said.
