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| Adam Harry |
Adam Harry resides in Thrissur district in Kerala came to the limelight as India’s first transman to get a private pilot license. When he was a young boy, he was never sure of his sexuality but becoming a pilot and fly airplanes crisscrossing the skies were crystal and clear dreams to him.
Harry joined an aviation academy attached to Lanseria International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa. "It was during the period of training in Johannesburg that my family actually understood who I was," he told Vanitha magazine. "Right after the course ended, I headed back to India. There, I was literally imprisoned. I suffered mental and physical torture. With no other recourse, I had to run away from home." He recounts at the age of 19, he was under house arrest for a year for saying that he was a man trapped in the body of a woman. His parents are orthodox, they even dragged him to counseling centers and so he had to run away from home to escape endless torture and mental breakdowns.
According to Harry, a sum of Rs 23.34 lakh was paid to the ministry of social justice to help him continue his education. He later joined the Rajiv Gandhi Academy for Aviation in Thiruvananthapuram as a trainee pilot. After completing the course he worked with an aviation firm in Cochin.
Director General Civil Aviation (DGCA) denied him a medical certificate declaring him temporarily unfit for flying as he was going undergoing Hormone Therapy which called the attention of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment which wrote to Director General Civil Aviation (DGCA) criticizing the body for denying a transgender person a commercial pilot license discriminatory and violative of the transgender gender (Protection of Right) Act, 2019. The ministry also urged the aviation regulator to lay down guidelines for licensing transgender persons to become pilots and develop medical standards for when they are under gender-affirming hormone therapy. had started hormone treatment a year back, and the results were starting to show. "I want the transgender community to live without fear in India. They should be accepted by society. I still have faith that my parents will accept me."According to The Hindu on July 3, DGCA's denial of a medical assessment to Mr. Harry, while he was on a hormone treatment virtually, rendered him incapable of becoming a commercial or an airline pilot as a transgender man in India.
Harry spoke to the Times of India that he wished to join the Indian Air Force. “Commander Abhinandan’s heroics have inspired me to join the IAF. Unlike foreign countries, India has not enrolled any transpeople into the force. It would be great if our country would allow passionate youth like me by giving importance to our skills than our gender. If selected and trained, we will also get the opportunity to serve our nation and this would also empower people of my community across the country,”
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