The Third Gender in a Third World Country: Major Concerns and the "AIIMS Initiative".

Abstract

With a population dividend of around 1.3 billion, India is the largest democracy in the world that encompasses "unity in diversity". The kaleidoscope of thesocio-cultural fabric comprises the transgender populationtoo, which has a historical context dating back millennia and also plays a vital role asdescribed in Hindu scriptures. The Indian transgender person's community shows a variety of gender identities and sexual orientations, which is unlikely from the West, forming a culturally unique gender group. In India, transgender persons were recognised as the 'third gender' in 2014. The third gender population of India is marginalised to a great extent in every sector. Often, transgender persons have been the subjects of sociology, psychology, and health issues. There was a dearth of data regarding their major health problems including bone health, which has not been reported in India and elsewhere before this study.Through a prospective cross-sectional study design, we aimed to determine the current health status of transgender persons with a special emphasis on bone health. Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis.The preliminary results of the study show poor bone health in the transgender population of India. The majority of transgender persons have low bone mineral density (BMD) at a much youngage, even before the achievement of their peak bone mass.The health status of the transgender population inIndia ispoor overall. Transgender persons have many impediments to optimal healthcare that requires holistic care.This study presents the current health challenges of the transgender population with a special emphasis on their bone health status as 'AIIMS initiative'. Thisstudy also shows transgender persons human rights needs to be explicitly discussed. The stakeholders of social policies require an urgent attention to unfold the major concerns encompassing transgender persons.