Rajasthan Teacher Undergoes Gender Affirmation Surgery To Marry; 'I Went With Him For Surgery', Says Bride

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In Rajasthan, a physical education teacher, Meera, got married to her student Kalpana Fouzdar after she fell in love with her. The teacher went through Gender Affirmation Surgery to marry Kalpana.

Meera, now Aarav Kuntal, met Kalpana during physical education classes at school. Kalpana played kabaddi at the state level.

The school playground was where Aarav fell in love with Kalpana, and he always wished to be a boy. "I was born a girl, but I always thought I was a boy. I always wished to undergo surgery to change my gender. I had my first surgery in December 2019," he said.

"Meera was our physical education teacher at the school. I fell in love then. And three years ago, Meera changed her gender and now is Aarav. We got married after both our families consented to the match," Kalpana said.

The bride, Kalpana, said she had been in love with Aarav for some time and would have married him if he had not undergone surgery.

"I loved him from the start. Even if he had not done this surgery, I would have married him. I went with him for the surgery," Kalpana said.

Aarav underwent gender change surgery between 2019 and 2021. Once the process was completed, he married Kalpana with the blessings of both their families.

The couple's parents have accepted their unconventional wedding, even though it is still rare in India.

"Everything is fair in love, and that is why I changed my gender," Aarav told reporters.

What Is Gender Changer Surgery, AKA Gender Affirmation Surgery?

The term gender affirmation surgery refers to procedures designed to assist individuals in transitioning to their self-identified gender. The procedure may involve cosmetic surgery, top surgery, or bottom surgery. Most people who undergo gender affirmation surgery report improved mental health and quality of life after the procedure [1].

It is mandatory for the government to provide health facilities for transgender individuals, including separate HIV surveillance centres and gender affirmation surgery, by the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 (India). In addition, as part of Section 15, the government must provide hormonal therapy and counselling to patients before and after surgery [2].

The country that performs the most sex reassignment surgeries is Thailand, followed by Iran [3].