Lesbian partner seeks divorce

One of the partners had undergone gender-change surgery 5 years ago.

A lesbian couple, one of whom underwent a complete gender change surgery to become a man to marry his partner some time back, is now battling an estranged relationship.

The couple, hailing from Haryana’s Jind district, wants to end their marriage by formally seeking a divorce. The wife in the relationship has filed a complaint with district women's protection cell against her 'husband'. She has accused her husband of domestic violence and mental harassment.

The two were summoned by the authorities concerned on Friday in a bid to resolve the issue, dealing official Ravi Lohan said.

One of the lesbian partners, a former school teacher, who now is the husband in the estranged relationship, was operated upon for gender change five years ago as mutually decided by the two when they were madly in love. Same gender sex was a criminal offence at the time the two were in a lesbian relationship. To avoid any criminal action, the lesbian duo (name withheld) in love decided that the older one in the relationship will get a gender change through surgery.

Adopted daughter

Both also have a child after they went through the legal adoption process. The daughter was adopted over two-and-a-half years ago. According to sources, the woman school teacher who got a surgery for sex change, spent several lakhs of rupees on the operation. She met another woman during a camp, which is when the lesbian duo fell in love and decided to spend the rest of their life together as a married couple.

The wife has volunteered to keep her daughter in case the relationship ends formally. In her complaint, the wife has stated that her ‘husband’ refuses to give her any money, even for household expenditure, saying that he has no money. Accusing her husband of mentally harassing her, she said she broke all ties with her family members years ago given the complexity of the relationship the two were entering into. She has urged the authorities concerned to assist her in getting a divorce. The duo are also likely to undergo sessions by specialised marriage counselors.