KOZHIKODE: Zahhad never dreamed of becoming a mother, all he wanted was to live as a man. The 23-year-old started his gender-transition process two years ago. But, the journey was halted midway after he started living with his transwoman partner, Ziya Paval, and they were overcome by a burning desire to have a child.
Against the odds, he decided to carry the foetus in his belly. Now, Zahhad is eight months pregnant -- in possibly the country’s first instance of a transgender becoming pregnant.“We are about to realise our dream of becoming parents of a child as an eight-month-old child is now in Zahhad’s belly,” said 21-year-old Ziya, a dancer, in an Instagram post.
Zahhad and Ziya have been living together in Kozhikode for the past three years. It was two years ago that they initiated their gender transition. When they started dreaming of a child, they halted their hormone therapy and Zahhad became pregnant. Once he delivers the baby, which is due in March, he will continue his journey to become a man, Ziya said.
Speaking to reporters, Ziya said, “Since we started living together, we had dreams of becoming a parent. Though we had made attempts to adopt a child, we felt it was difficult for a trans couple to adopt a child due to the legal complications involved. Then we thought about getting our own child.”
“We had the support of Kozhikode Medical College Hospital doctors where Zahhad is getting medical aid. As he had already removed both breasts, we hope to feed the child from the milk bank at the medical college,” she said.
Zahhad’s family was thrilled to hear of his pregnancy and initially told him to continue as a mother. But, he remains firm on the gender transition after the delivery. However, the family has come around to his decision.
“The trans community is living in constant fear of society. There are numerous transpeople who want to be a parent. There are many persons for whom pregnancy is possible. But they are not coming forward,” Ziya said.