No records showing exact number of transgenders, says Centre

This was in response to a query raised by Justice N Kirubakaran while dealing with a plea moved by Vishwaa and S Tharika Banu, transgender women seeking reservation.

He had asked since there are 20 lakh transgenders in the country whether the transgenders could also be classified as minority namely sexual minority.

The reply offered claimed that there is no authentic data regarding the number of transgenders in the country. However, as informed by the Registrar General of India, during the enumeration of census 2011, for the first time three codes were provided that is Male-1, Female-2 and others-3. In case the respondent wished to record neither ‘1’ nor ‘2’, then enumerators were instructed to record sex as ‘other’ and give code ‘3’. Thus, the category of ‘other’ would not only include transgender but also any person who desires to record sex under the category of ‘other’. It is also possible that some transgenders would have turned themselves as either male or female depending upon their choice. The population of ‘other’ as per census 2011 is 4.87 lakh, it added.

The reply about MSJE not inclined to classify transgenders as sexual minority said the expert committee constituted to make an in-depth study of the problems faced by the transgender community and suggest suitable measures to ameliorate their conditions met thrice with stakeholders, including the representatives of the transgender community, submitted a report on January 27, 2014, which does not mention anything about sexual minority.

Also, during drafting of the Government Bill, a meeting with stakeholders was conducted and none raised any demand about giving sexual minority status to the transgenders. Moreover, even while the government bill was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee and the committee submitted its report on July 21, 2017, no mention was made about giving sexual minority status to the transgenders.

However, to another query about the Right of the Transgender Persons Bill, 2014, pending for more than two years, the answer stated, the private member bill titled the Rules of Transgender Persons Bill 2014 introduced in Rajya Sabha on December 12, 2014, and passed on April 24, 2015, has been introduced in Lok Sabha and is currently under discussion, while the Government’s one bill introduced has reached the stage of the Parliamentary Standing Committee submitting its report to the Lok Sabha on July 27, 2017.