By: Eetika Kapoor
CHENNAI: Preethisha, 31, and her husband Prem, 27, are not strangers to the limelight. In June last year, their story had gone viral as the first transsexual couple to be married, and again when they found jobs with a food delivery company.
Now that the spotlight has faded, they face the challenge of living as husband and wife, struggling to get basic things such as a marriage certificate and a health insurance. “Our health insurance was rejected thrice. We have given up on it,” says Preethisha.
Prem and Preethisha, who met on Facebook in 2012, underwent sex reassignment surgery (SRS),Prem changing from female to male and Preethisha from male to female. Doctors say the femaleto-male reassignment is tough, with repeated surgeries and health complications.
“After hormone therapy, my vision gets blurry in the evening. There is a risk of high blood pressure and even a heart attack,” says Prem. They found it impossible to get basic documents such as Aadhaar, KYC and PAN cards.
“Laws for transsexual rights in India are still nascent. Insurance companies don’t understand the very concept of a third gender,” says Madras high court lawyer Sudha Ramalingam.
Working at Uber Eats has been their only solace. “Our colleagues know about us. Our customers don’t get to know, and they have been cordial,” says Preethisha who, like Prem, earns ₹30,000 a month.
Preethisha was a domestic help and later sold bangles in Pune before moving to Delhi, where she performed dances at weddings. Prem earned a living repairing watches in T Nagar, making up to ₹15,000 a month. Last year, Periferry, an organization that works for employment opportunities for transsexuals, helped them get jobs with Uber Eats.
It wasn’t easy finding a place to stay either, they say, as neighbours often made fun of them. Preethisha beats stress by practising Silambatam at the YMCA grounds in the morning and attending ‘TheatreLab’, a drama clubin Nungambakkam, in the evening.
Their advice for members of their community: “SRS is complicated, try to get the supportof your family,” saysPrem. While his mother and sister have become supportive, Preethisha’s parents have always been by her side. The couple had stopped studies after Class XII, but now Prem is pursuing a graduate course in social work and are Preethisha is studying theatre and drama via Tamil Nadu Open University.
India is home to 4,90,000 transsexuals, of whom 30,000 live in Tamil Nadu. Preethisha and Prem have pinned their hopes on the Transgender Bill that promises to give them an identity and full citizen rights.
CHENNAI: Preethisha, 31, and her husband Prem, 27, are not strangers to the limelight. In June last year, their story had gone viral as the first transsexual couple to be married, and again when they found jobs with a food delivery company.
Now that the spotlight has faded, they face the challenge of living as husband and wife, struggling to get basic things such as a marriage certificate and a health insurance. “Our health insurance was rejected thrice. We have given up on it,” says Preethisha.
Prem and Preethisha, who met on Facebook in 2012, underwent sex reassignment surgery (SRS),Prem changing from female to male and Preethisha from male to female. Doctors say the femaleto-male reassignment is tough, with repeated surgeries and health complications.
“After hormone therapy, my vision gets blurry in the evening. There is a risk of high blood pressure and even a heart attack,” says Prem. They found it impossible to get basic documents such as Aadhaar, KYC and PAN cards.
“Laws for transsexual rights in India are still nascent. Insurance companies don’t understand the very concept of a third gender,” says Madras high court lawyer Sudha Ramalingam.
Working at Uber Eats has been their only solace. “Our colleagues know about us. Our customers don’t get to know, and they have been cordial,” says Preethisha who, like Prem, earns ₹30,000 a month.
Preethisha was a domestic help and later sold bangles in Pune before moving to Delhi, where she performed dances at weddings. Prem earned a living repairing watches in T Nagar, making up to ₹15,000 a month. Last year, Periferry, an organization that works for employment opportunities for transsexuals, helped them get jobs with Uber Eats.
It wasn’t easy finding a place to stay either, they say, as neighbours often made fun of them. Preethisha beats stress by practising Silambatam at the YMCA grounds in the morning and attending ‘TheatreLab’, a drama clubin Nungambakkam, in the evening.
Their advice for members of their community: “SRS is complicated, try to get the supportof your family,” saysPrem. While his mother and sister have become supportive, Preethisha’s parents have always been by her side. The couple had stopped studies after Class XII, but now Prem is pursuing a graduate course in social work and are Preethisha is studying theatre and drama via Tamil Nadu Open University.
India is home to 4,90,000 transsexuals, of whom 30,000 live in Tamil Nadu. Preethisha and Prem have pinned their hopes on the Transgender Bill that promises to give them an identity and full citizen rights.
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