Adam Harry, who was in the news in 2019 for becoming India’s first transgender pilot, was denied the right to fly by the DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation), on grounds that he was physically unfit.
The reason given for the same was that he is on hormone therapy and is experiencing gender dysphoria. The latter can be described as the feeling of emotional disconnect between one’s biological sex assigned at birth and gender.
Science: “There is no medical or scientific link between being on testosterone lifelong & flying an aeroplane.”
— 🧩 Dr.Snow ❄️ (@zyadaahorahahai) July 4, 2022
Federal Aviation Administration of USA agrees.
But DGCA doesn’t.
What is the point of Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act,2019?https://t.co/d6alKYU4ms
To state either as grounds for disqualification, is discriminatory. The nature of a person’s emotional dilemma should not be presumed and a confusion, even if it does exist in their mind, should not become the reason why they can’t land a job.
Unfortunately, it gets worse, Adam was made to appear for the test appear as his sex assigned at birth despite being mid-transition. The DGCA follows a strict, and archaic, two-gender policy that only allows ‘men’ and ‘women’ to undergo medical examinations.
In 2019, Adam Harry shot to fame as India’s first transgender trainee pilot. Two years later, he is a delivery man for Zomato because the Directorate General of Civil Aviation @DGCAIndia says he is unfit to fly as long as he is on hormone therapy.https://t.co/SoY3y9Cc07
— Rituparna Chatterjee (@MasalaBai) July 4, 2022
.@DGCAIndia must amend the existing discriminatory rules that prevent transgender persons from obtaining a commercial pilot licence in India. DGCA’s denial of licence to Adam Harry, a transgender person, is a clear violation of equality. Will raise the issue in the Parliament.
— A A Rahim (@AARahimdyfi) July 6, 2022
Since being denied the opportunity to fly, Adam has been working as a delivery person for Zomato. This comes after he received a grant from the Kerala government to pursue his dream.
Adam learned flying in South Africa, where he moved after his parents allegedly took him to a psychiatrist to ‘cure’ him. It’s truly unfortunate that any person would have to go through this.
India was so excited to hear that Adam Harry was to become India’s first #transgender pilot.
— The Naz Foundation (India) Trust (@Naz_Foundation) July 3, 2022
Now we learn that he is delivering for Zomato because @DGCAIndia will not give him clearance as long as he is on hormone treatment – an ESSENTIAL part of being trans. #hrt pic.twitter.com/Xu0URb1sVv
India’s 1st transgender trainee pilot is fighting for his dream to fly. Having been declared “unfit to fly”, Adam Harry is taking DGCA to court on grounds of “transphobia”. If the US & UK can have transgender pilots, shouldn’t India be more inclusive too? 10 pm @IndiaAheadNews
— Neha Khanna (@nehakhanna_07) July 6, 2022
This is pretty much people in authority punishing someone for their identity, and it is the single most problematic thing to exist.