Transgender persons in Kerala can now register property under own identity

Thiruvananthapuram: The first property registration in the name of a person belonging to the transgender community in Kerala by mentioning the gender as 'TG' was done in Thrissur's Chavakkad.

Faisal Faisu, 38, also came across the obstacle being faced by several others in the transgender community while registering land in their names as the online system only had provisions for mentioning gender as either 'male' or 'female'.

Faisu wanted to register land by maintaining his transgender identity. Moreover, all documents including his Aadhaar card has gender marked as 'TG'.

Faisu took up the matter with the concerned authorities. Subsequently, a provision to mention gender as 'TG' was introduced within three weeks and the land registration of around five cents land was done at the Chavakkad sub-registrar office.

Faisu told DH that it seemed to be the first such land registration by a person from the transgender community by mentioning gender as 'TG'. Earlier, a transgender community member who was allotted a house under the government's LIFE mission scheme had to mention gender as 'male' during the registration owing to this issue, Faisu said.

"After I did the registration, some other members of the transgender community contacted me and said that they also wish to buy land by maintaining their identity," said Faisu, who works as a TG Link worker under the National Health Mission.