The child was named Zabiya Zahhad in a ceremony which was attended by several persons from the transgender community and others.
Transgender couple from Kerala, Zahhad and Ziya Paval with their child. (paval19/Instagram)
The Kerala transgender couple, who were blessed with a baby recently, conducted the naming ceremony of their newborn on the occasion of International Women’s Day on Wednesday, 8 March.
The child was named Zabiya Zahhad at a glittering ceremony, held at an open venue in the Kozhikode district on Wednesday evening, which was attended by several persons from the transgender community and well-wishers from various walks of life.
The visibly excited Ziya Paval and Zahhad said they wished that their baby would spread light in society.
Asked about their earlier announcement that they did not want to disclose the gender of the child, Paval said they were waiting for the right occasion to reveal it to the world.
Pointing to the female name given to the child, the transwoman also said, “Now it is clear to everyone.”
“We really wanted our baby’s birth to be known to all. I am so happy that my wish has been fulfilled. This function was my dream,” she said.
Her partner, Zahhad, who delivered the child at the Government Medical College Hospital in Kozhikode last month, said they are planning to travel with the baby after six months.
“For the next six months, it’s complete rest for us,” the transman added.
The Kerala-based transgender couple was blessed with the baby through a Caesarean section, on 8 February, considered to be the first such case in the country.
View this post on Instagram
The couple had hit headlines by approaching the hospital authorities demanding to register their new gender identity in the birth certificate and other documents of the newborn.
Though Zahhad had delivered the child, the trans-man wanted his name to be registered as the father of the baby and Ziya Paval, his trans-woman partner, as its mother.
Paval had also said they have the transgender identity card issued by the Union government and so they expect that there won’t be any legal hurdle in having their request granted.
The news of the pregnancy reached the public via an Instagram post that Paval had shared earlier.
“We are about to realise my dream of becoming a mother and his dream of becoming a father. An eight-month-old foetus is now in (Zahad’s) belly… From what we came to know, this is the first transman’s pregnancy in India…,” Paval said in the Instagram post.
Paval and Zahhad have been together for the past three years.
According to an Instagram post, Zahhad was undergoing hormonal therapy and had done breast removal surgery.
“My dream of becoming a mother, his dream of being a father, and a desire of our own brought us to one thought. Today, eight months old life moves in his belly with full consent,” wrote Ziya Paval on Instagram.
According to reports, they took the decision about one-and-a-half years ago and Zahhad’s hormonal treatment was stopped temporarily for that.
Even though he had undergone several surgical procedures for gender reaffirmation, the uterus and related organs were not removed, which made the pregnancy possible.
Zahhad is working as an accountant in a supermarket and Ziya is a dancer.
(With PTI inputs)
May 18, 2024
May 18, 2024
May 18, 2024
May 18, 2024
May 18, 2024
May 18, 2024
