Ex-Bengal Chief Minister’s Daughter Plans Gender Affirmation Procedure, Blazes Trail

The decision of a former West Bengal chief minister’s daughter to go in for the medical and legal process for gender affirmation after identifying as a man for years has come as a shot in the arm for others in the state who are struggling with issues of gender identity. Suchetana Bhattacharjee, now Suchetan, says he expects maturity from society and activists say they are hoping this will help more trans men come out. 

Suchetan, the child of former West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who says he has identified as a trans man since he was very young, has started taking legal advice and is consulting with psychiatrists to obtain the necessary certificates to undergo the medical process. 

“Just because I am former chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s child, it is becoming news. People are so interested, but it is not some juicy piece of news. I was hesitant because of the frenzy it would create because this is a personal issue, and I am not doing it for any publicity but that’s what happened unfortunately,” he said.

Suchetan said he was conscious of his gender identity in spite of being assigned the female gender at birth and his parents always knew this and were supportive. Now in his 40s, Suchetan identifies openly as a trans man and has been critical of the term sex-change surgery, which has been used in the reportage of his case

Stating that the decision to undergo the medical process is better late than never, Suchetan said he is aware that many people like him have been heckled and harassed for their identity. He added that expects maturity from society. 

The Supreme Court of India had, in a landmark verdict in 2014, declared transgender people as the ‘third gender’, affirming that the fundamental rights granted under the Constitution of India will be equally applicable to everyone, including the right to self-identify their gender as male, female, or third gender. 

But that self-affirmation or choice is often restricted due to societal pressures, more so for trans men, as they often become victims of gender bias and suppression. Even basics like healthcare, education, housing and access to toilets are still an issue, says West Bengal-based Sintu Bagui who became the state’s first transgender judge at the Serampore Lok Adalat in 2019. 

Bagui, who is the secretary of Kolkata Anandam for Equality and Justice, an organisation working for LGBTQIA+ rights, said “There is discrimination everywhere and the biggest issue of discrimination is on the issue of toilets. Most places don’t have gender neutral toilets.”

Rahul Mitra, founder of Transmasculine Initiative to Solidarity, Advocacy, and Resistance, and also runs a solidarity page on social media, says trans men find it difficult to express themselves. 

“Trans women are more visible and trans men are less visible because by birth they are assigned the female gender and there are family pressures and society pressures. That’s where we saw a problem and we formed this platform to deal with the issues of trans men. This is the first time we are talking about it because of Suchetan. We are discussing issues with a focus on trans men and now more trans men will come out,” said Mitra. 

Transgender activists say that trans men also often face violence from their own loved ones. Activist Ranjita Sinha said, “The biggest problem for a trans man is that, because physically he has female attributes, families bracket them due to patriarchy and ask them to follow rules. When they finally come out as men, families often discriminate and it leads to violence. I run a home and I have come across cases of correctional rape where they are raped by family members.”