Transgender struggles for name change in school certificate

Battling all odds, a 24-year-old transgender has been running from pillar to post to get her name corrected in school certificates to enable her get a government job, which was refused to her in the past.

She has moved the Madras High Court bench here, seeking a direction to officials to make the correction after school education authorities rejected her plea.

Her troubles began in 2011 when she became a transgender and changed her name to Swapna from Nazer. Though she got her name changed in the college and degree certificates, her inability to do so in the school certificate cost her a job that year after she cleared her Group IV examinations for clerical posts in government service.

"My name in the school certificate is Nazer, while it is Swapna in University Degree and Technical Qualification certificate. Public Service Commission officials refused to accept the name difference and I lost a job opportunity."

She said she managed to change her name in the college by giving Gazette Notification for it.

But, School Education Department officials rejected her plea to make suitable corrections in the School Certificate saying there was no provision for it. They also did not accept her suggestion to give a new marksheet with the name "Swapna".

Swapna said she wrote her BA (English Literature) and Typewriting exams under the new name. Since she has appeared for the Village Administrative Officer's name, she did not want to meet the same fate.

Swapna said the Tahsildhar had also given a certificate identifying her as Swapna. "My transgender certificate has both names - Nazer and Swapna - and so there should not be problems in making corrections in the School Certificate," she said.

She said she hoped to get a favourable judgement from the court.