national-portal-for-transgender-persons-summary

Context:  A national portal to help transgender community members in applying for a certificate and an identity card online was launched by Social Justice and Empowerment.

National Portal for Transgender Persons

  • It has been developed within 2 months of Notification of Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Rules, 2020. 
  • Aims: This highly useful Portal would help a transgender person in applying for a Certificate and Identity card digitally from anywhere in the country. 
  • The most important benefit is that it helps the transgender person to get the I-Card without any physical interface and without having to visit any office, the Minister said. 
  • Significance: This portal will help a lot of people from the community to come forward and get Transgender Certificate and Identity Cards as per their self-perceived identity which is an important provision of The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019.

 

Benefits:

  • Transparency and accountability: Through the portal, they can monitor the status of their application that ensures transparency in the process. 
    • The issuing authorities are also under strict timelines to process the applications and issue certificates and identity cards without any necessary delays.

Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019

  • The Act defines a trans person as someone whose gender does not match the one assigned at birth. It prohibits discrimination against them in employment, education, housing, healthcare and other services.
  • It states that transgender persons will have the right to “self-perceived” gender identity.
  • But it mandates that each person would have to be recognised as ‘transgender’ on the basis of a certificate of identity issued by a district magistrate.
  • Change of gender identity in documents cannot be done without a certification by the District Magistrate after proof of a sex reassignment surgery is provided.
  • It prohibits discrimination against a transgender person, including denial of service or unfair treatment.
  • It seeks to provide rights of health facilities to transgender persons including separate HIV surveillance centres, and sex reassignment surgeries.
  • It enforces  a minor’s right of residence compelling any trans person below 18 to cohabit with their natal family.
  • It calls for establishing a National Council for Transgender persons (NCT).