In a spectacular decision made by the government, Assam has become the first Indian state to add “transgender” as an identity category for candidates who wish to apply to Civil Services. This decision has allowed 42 Trans candidates to sit in an entrance exam.
The application form for the UPSC examinations, that recruits officers for state roles such as administrative officials, magistrates, and police officers, now allows candidates to select male, female, or transgender as their gender identity – a move welcomed by the local Trans rights advocates.
Swati Bidhan Baruah of the Assam Transgender Welfare Board stated, “Forty-two (applicants) is not a small number… It is a historic decision. Assam has become the first state in India to have included us.”
In April, India’s federal government had ordered all the ministries and departments to modify forms for the recruiting procedure and include “transgender” as a separate classification to conform to the Trans Rights Law that was passed last year. The law improved the lives of about two million Trans Indians who had been facing discrimination and were neglected by society and had to beg, perform at functions, or sell sex to survive.
