Challenges and Issues in Health Care Utilization among Transgender Community in Tamil Nadu

Abstract

Transgender is a wide-ranging expression functional to a diversity of individuals, behaviors, and groups concerning tendencies to deviate from the normative gender roles. In India, till very recently, transgender was not recognized as human beings. This is a huge violation of Human Rights. The lack of recognition has segregated them from society, and above all, in the matter of Civil Rights, they have been destitute from many rights and privileges that the common Indian people enjoy. Transgender people have a gender identity or gender expression that differs from their assigned sex. Some transgender people who desire medical assistance to transition from one sex to another identify as third gender person. Transgender peoples normally prone to health hazards, and they undergo many physical and mental difficulties or problems in obtaining medical treatments and general medical treatment in hospitals. The Medical Council of India should issue guidelines to the medical professionals and avoid discrimination in the medical treatment of the transgender community. The medical curricula in various medical colleges should be reformed to prevent seeing  transgenderism as a disease and deviance.