New Delhi: February is celebrated as the month of love. The kind of love that is not limited to romance and attraction, but also includes empathy, caring and inclusion of one and all. To celebrate their love that goes beyond what meets the eye, a Transgender couple from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala tied the knot on Monday (February 14) which is also marked as Valentine’s Day. Syama S Prabha and Manu Karthika affirmed their love for each other and got married as per traditional rituals, as reported by news agency ANI.
Also Read: From Abhijit To Abhina Aher, Here’s The Story Of A 45-Year-Old Transgender Activist
While the venue was decked up in the shades of red, white and gold, the groom and bride were dressed in traditional attires. The ceremony was held in the presence of relatives and friends who were jubilant and blessed the couple on their wedding day.
The groom Manu is a Transman from Thrissur and works for an IT firm in Techno Park whereas the bride Syama, who identifies herself as a Transwoman is a native of Thiruvananthapuram and is employed at the Transgender cell under the Kerala Social Justice Department. The couple plans to knock on the doors of the High Court to get their marriage registered as one between Transgender individuals under the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019.
We are just finishing the paperwork to approach Kerala High court. After this, we will go to the High Court with all legal documents, said Manu, while addressing the media at the wedding ceremony.
Kerala | Transgender couple Manu Karthika & Syama S Prabha tied the knot in Thiruvananthapuram yesterday
"We're happy to get married on Valentine's Day. We're completing the paperwork to approach Kerala HC to register our marriage under transgender identity," said Manu Karthika https://t.co/vE70VfxAAL pic.twitter.com/GtHfBOxTq9
— ANI (@ANI) February 14, 2022
The reason the couple has decided to move to Kerala High Court is that they want to register their marriage under Transgender identity, instead of the gender binary (male-female) under the Special Marriage Act. After sex reassignment surgery, some Transgender people chose to identify themselves as either male or female or third gender and that’s what is mentioned on their identity cards as well. In the case of Syama and Manu, their ID cards say Transgender or third gender and the law, currently, doesn’t allow marriage between Trans persons. Hence, they have decided to approach the high court, Manu told ANI.
Transgender couples who obtain their id cards as male and female get their marriages registered under Special Marriage Act. But we got ourselves identified as transgender in our ids, so we're not able to register our marriage under the Act, which is why we'll approach Court: Manu pic.twitter.com/Q8I3rj2tam
— ANI (@ANI) February 9, 2022
On entering the wedlock, the couple expressed contentment and thanked everyone for their support.
Also Read: The Challenging Journey From Satya To Sadhana Of 35-year-old Transgender Activist From Odisha
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, that is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
[corona_data_new]
