No matter how far we strive to talk about having equal rights, there is a lot more to achieve in India especially in terms of sexual preference. This is a sad reality which has been confirmed by shameful incidents over the time. A most recent one would be when a 30-year-old Suchitra Dey was interviewed for the position of a teacher at schools who anticipated that her double Master of Arts (MA in Geography and English) and BEd degrees would be enough to get her a decent job. But since she had undergone a sex-reassignment surgery (SRS) to lead a life of her choice in India, she was asked if “her breasts are real” or “if she can give birth” in the interview.

Suchitra Dey, changed her name from Hiranmay Dey after the SRS in 2017 is a transgender teacher in Kolkata’s Thakurpukur area. Dey recounted the even to The Indian Express; “My educational qualification or 10 years of experience didn’t matter to them. When they looked at me, all they could see was a man who had transformed into a woman. Nothing else mattered because if one belongs to the third gender in this country, ridicule is a way of life.” Dey further recalled that one of the interviewers at a well-known school in the city asked her to wear a male outfit since all her mark sheets and certificates claim the Suchitra is a man.

“One of the interviewers at a well-known Kolkata school asked me to wear male outfits because all my mark sheets and certificates say that I am a man. In each of these interviews, I faced the worst kind of humiliation. The male principal of one of these schools asked me whether I can bear a child. He also asked me if my breasts are real. Would these questions be asked if I wasn’t a transgender woman?” Suchitra said in the same report.

Frustrated with the way she was humiliated every time she got an interview call, on June 11 Dey wrote to the West Bengal Human Rights Commission (WBHRC). “I couldn’t handle the humiliation anymore. The things I have been asked by authorities at “reputed” schools of Kolkata shows the kind of mindset people still hold about our community. If someone like me, who is educated and experienced, has to face this then imagine the plight of those who don’t have the opportunity to go to school, or the ones who have been ostracised,” says Suchitra. To her letter, Nirmal Chandra Sarkar, assistant secretary of WBHRC reported that only if an enquiry is ordered by the commission, they follow the necessary process about the course of action.

In 2014, the Supreme Court officially recognized transgenders creating a “third gender” category for them. The apex court had announced that those belonging to this category will be permitted admission in all educational institutions and that they can even seek jobs. But mistreatment to the transgenders continue.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 18, 2018 08:50 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).