By filing nominations for Madurai North constituency on Friday, M. Gopi Shankar, who recently turned 25, has not only made a bid to contest as one of the youngest candidates in the upcoming Assembly election but also the first openly intersex person to do so.
Gopi’s primary aim is to raise awareness of the issues and discrimination faced by intersex persons, who are not the same as transgenders.
“A common misconception is to treat them as same. In case of transgenders, the assigned sex of a person does not match his/her gender identity. But intersex people are born neither male nor female because of the ambiguities in their genitals or chromosomal patterns,” says Gopi, who claims that there are more than 50 recognisable gender types.
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He says that while there has been a welcome increase in awareness of rights of transgenders, scant interest is shown for the rights of intersex people.
“Both the Supreme Court verdict on recognising third gender and The Rights of Transgender Persons Bill do not focus on intersex persons,” Gopi says.
He says that neonatal surgeries to ‘fix’ the ambiguities in the genitals of intersex babies happen rampantly. “These children should be given the choice of choosing their gender once they grow up. But since it is forced on them through surgery, it may lead to psychological issues,” he says.
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Gopi’s focus, however, is not just about the plight of intersex people. “I feel a wider impact can be made only through politics,” says Gopi, who runs an NGO called Srishti Madurai.
Gopi is contesting on the ticket of newly launched outfit Anaithu Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK). “Around 60 youngsters are contesting from the party this time,” he says.