Transgender couple moves HC to name them 'parents' in child's birth certificate, not father, mother

zahhad and ziya paval
Zahhad and Ziya Paval with baby. Photo: Instagram/paval19

Kochi: India's first transgender parents have moved the Kerala High Court seeking a direction to the Kozhikode Corporation to issue a new birth certificate for their child, showing them as 'parents', instead of 'father' and 'mother' in it.

The plea was filed by Zahhad, a transman, and Ziya Paval, a transwoman, who became India's first transgender parents in February.

On the birth certificate of their child, the Kozhikode Corporation named Ziya Paval as the father and Zahad as the mother. 

The petitioners submitted that they requested the Corporation to avoid the name of father and mother on the birth certificate, since the biological mother of the child identified themself as a male years ago, and was presently living as a male member in the society.

The couple said that the authorities denied their request to label them only as 'parents'.

The single bench of Justice N Nagaresh asked the State government's counsel to resolve the petitioners' "genuine grievance". The court adjourned the matter to next Thursday after the state's counsel pointed out certain technical defects in the petition.

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