KGH doctor ‘gives away’ baby with intersex traits to transgender group

A doctor in King George Hospital here has allegedly given away a newborn baby with intersex traits to a group of transgender people. The incident reportedly happened sometime in the third week of May and the baby is now allegedly in the custody of a Nayak from the Hijra Jamaat. Gopi Shankar, southern regional representative of the National Council for Transgender Persons, received information about this incident in a formal complaint. The baby was allegedly abandoned by the parents after they were informed that it was born with intersex traits. “Primarily, one should understand that such babies who are termed as intersex infants are not transgenders. They may be born with diverse sex characteristics which cannot be classified as male, female or transgender,” said Gopi Shankar. According to Gopi Shankar, the term transgender refers to diverse gender identity and expressions of a person whereas intersex is sex characteristics, and most importantly, such babies cannot be handed over to transgenders without following the legal procedures, even if parents abandon the child.