KOCHI: The Kerala High Court has stated that transgender persons have the same right as others to participate in any sporting event even if there isn’t a category reserved for them. The court made the observation while allowing a transgender person, whose chosen self-perceived gender identity is a woman, to participate provisionally in the district-level judo competition in Kozhikode.
“Here, in the absence of any category for transgender persons, the petitioner is seeking to take part in the women’s category. If the organisers have not made arrangements for allowing transgender people, then the petitioner should be permitted to take part in her chosen category,” said the court.
The High Court issued the order on a petition filed by Anamika of Kozhikode. She is an active sportsperson who has participated in various events, including athletics, judo and wrestling. The counsel for the petitioner said that even after undergoing sex reassignment surgery, she has actively participated in various events at the university level in the transgender category.
The petitioner desires to participate in the district-level judo competition. The petitioner, while attempting to submit her application online, was told that transgenders will not be allowed to participate in the competition. The counsel contended that the petitioner’s self-perceived gender identity is woman. As such, the petitioner should be permitted to participate in the sports event, the counsel argued.