KOCHI: Denied the commercial pilot licence by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Adam Harry, 23, a trans-man settled in Thiruvanananthpuram, has decided to move the Kerala High Court with a writ petition against the aviation regulator.
“I have faced discrimination from the DGCA authorities who denied me a medical clearance stating I am unfit because I am under hormone therapy. The DGCA should be more progressive in the matters of the LGBTQ community. Despite the Supreme Court’s judgment in favour of the third gender persons stating all fundamental rights under the Constitution are available to them and that no one from the LGBTQ community should be subjected to any medical examination invading their privacy, I was made to undergo several tests including a psychometric test which I passed,” Adam told TNIE.
Harry was certified a female by birth and underwent surgery eight months ago. He began his hormonal therapy in 2018.Harry was supported by the Kerala government and enrolled in the Rajiv Gandhi Academy for Aviation Technology in Thiruvananthapuram in 2019. He underwent a medical test in 2020 to join the course and get a licence, but the DGCA blocked his request. A letter from DGCA said he is temporarily unfit to fly due to gender dysphoria and hormone replacement therapy.
“The only difference is that I take additional supplements for testosterone which a male body produces naturally by birth,” said Harry, who comes from a conservative Muslim family. “The DGCA must study the guidelines in other foreign countries which offer flying licences to the third gender and revise the criteria to certify pilots in India,” said Harry, who is certified to fly anywhere except in India.