Kolkata: In a first in Bengal, two transgenders have applied for the West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination this year. It's a subtle yet emphatic step for the third gender to step out of the shadows.
This is the first time that the board gave a 'third gender' option in its online application form. "One of the applicants is from Cooch Behar and has opted for JEE-medical. The other one is from Burdwan and will take the test for both engineering and medical," said Sajal Dasgupta, chairman of WBJEE Board. "What's perhaps very significant is that they are Muslims. One of them is from OBC (A) category and another is a general candidate," said a source in the board.
It's perhaps no coincidence that this assertion of identity has come within months of Manabi Bandyopadhyay being appointed the first transgender college principal in the state and third-gender schoolteacher Riya Sarkar fighting - and winning - a battle for dignity and equal rights.Two transgender candidates opting for WBJEE is an indication that they will be treated at par with others, said a senior official of the HRD ministry.
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