CHENNAI: For the first time in the country, the State Health Department appointed a transgender woman as a staff nurse at a Primary Health Centre in Tiruchy. Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami gave the appointment order to Anbu Ruby at a function held here on Monday.
Anbu Ruby, resident of Servaikaranmadam village in Thoothukudi district, completed her BSc Nursing at Sardar Raja Nursing College in Tirunelveli in 2016 and was recruited through Medical Recruitment Board (MRB) on a consolidated pay.
Expressing her gratitude to the Chief Minister and the Health Minister C Vijayabaskar, Anbu Ruby told Express that she will give her best at work and will shine in her field and also among the transgender community. "I wanted to understand medical issues faced by our transgender community in a better way and also serve the poor, so I chose nursing," Ruby added.
"When I was in the final year of Nursing, my father passed away. From then my mother supported my education. After nursing, I pursued MBA in Hospital Management. My mother is a farmer, working in a banana cultivation. She is very happy that I got the job purely based on merit," said Ruby.
"Since I have to take care of my mother, the officials assured me that I will be transferred to Thoothukudi district. After two years, my service also will be regularised," Ruby added.
About discrimination, Ruby said, like many others in the transgender community, she also faced it but has learnt to overcome it. "I underwent sex reassignment surgery this year. But, during the first year of college itself, I understood my sexual orientation. My professors, friends at the college accepted me, but a few bullied me. Unlike many other parents, my parents were very supportive and accepted me as what I am," she added.
"I registered as a male in the Tamil Nadu Nurses and Midwives Council. But, now I changed my name and gender in the government gazette after the surgery. The Health Department gave me the appointment order as 'transgender woman' appointed as staff nurse.
"While applying for a job in the Medical Recruitment Board I selected the 'female' option as there was no separate column for transgender. I got my job purely based on merit," said Ruby.