(Image source from: Youth changes sex to bypass Article 377})

A youth in India's Kolkata underwent sex change to be able to live a comfortable life with his partner without any legal hassles. This is being seen as a direct outcome of re-criminalisation of gay sex, though the youth said that he felt like a woman trapped in a male body. On 11 December 2013, the Supreme Court overturned the Delhi High Court verdict on section 377 of CrPC that had decriminalized homosexuality.

The 23-year-old man from Kolkata went through a sex change operation at a private hospital to be able to live with his male partner, but he doesn't want to be called a gay. The man,who works as a beautician says that even as a child she loved to dress like a girl. She met resistence from her family as she started growing up but the graduate couldn't see herself as a man. Her family was dead against the sex change surgery but eventually they relented. Her boyfriend was a strong pillar throughout, said the youth from hospital, whose boyfriend is a chef.

The surgical procedure called genitoplasty was performed by a team of doctors led by Dr Jayant Kumar Dash. During the surgery, the young man's male organ was removed and in its place a female sex organ was created. However, the youth will have to go throuth other procedures to become a woman completely in six to eight months, Dash said. Other surgical procedures would be needed for breast augmentation, facial feminization and change of her voice. However, the youth will not be able to conceive as artificial creation of ovary and uterus is not possible.

Patients like these have a genetic identity disorder where they are born male but have a female psychology. They can be diagnosed only by a psychiatrist. Genetic identity disorder occurs in one in about 12000 worldwide which has been recorded in various studies, Dash said. The whole procedure comes at a cost of Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2 lakh.

(Picture Source: static1.businessinsider.com)

(AW: Pratima Tigga)