Rashika Raj, a 23-year-old nurse, on Friday registered under the “transgender” category with the Tamil Nadu Nurses and Midwives Council.
This follows a Madras High Court direction to the council based on a writ petition from Ms. Raj.
Ms. Raj, who studied nursing at Padmasree College of Nursing, and received her degree from Governor Banwarilal Purohit earlier this year, said she attempted to register with the council, but it had only male and female categories on their forms.
“I was confused and when I spoke to the authorities, they said I had to register in the women’s category. I did not want to do this,” she said.
The court directed the council to register Ms. Raj as ‘woman-trans-gender’ till an amendment is made to the legislation, which is under government consideration. Once the amended legislation comes into effect, Ms. Raj’s entry can be altered with effect from the date of application, the court said.
