Ever since she was a little girl, Komal, who was born into a Madhya Pradesh-based family, knew something about her body wasn’t right. While her physical body (sex) was female, her mind (gender) was essentially male.
“I felt trapped in a woman’s body,” said 28-year-old Komal, who underwent treatment at Fortis Hospital Shalimar Bagh’s Gender Identity Clinic this year and is now known as Kabir.
Speaking at a press conference recently, he said: “And after living like that for several years, I finally confided in my family. They advised me to resolve the conflict by seeking the right treatment. Since the treatment, I feel like I’m on top of the world. I have been enjoying life to the fullest and have even joined my father’s business now,” Kabir added.
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Richie Gupta of Fortis said they treat a large number of transsexuals every year and that the unit receives around 35 cases annually. The physician added that the hospital’s Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery has performed numerous surgeries to save the lives of patients who presented with severe medical and physical conditions.
“Gender identity refers to a person’s internal sense of being male, female or something else. Gender expression refers to the way a person communicates gender identity with others through behaviour, clothing, hairstyles, voice or body characteristics. Many experts believe that biological factors such as genetic influences and prenatal hormone levels, early experiences, and experiences later in adolescence or adulthood all contribute towards development of transgender identities,” said Dr. Gupta.
The hospital had organised an event to commemorate the National Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Day, which falls on July 15.
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Another case discussed was that of Arvind. Having fallen off his two-wheeler, he was run over by a truck that crushed a major portion of his lower abdomen, genitalia and his lower limbs.