Transsexuals can indicate sex as "other" in electoral rolls

New Delhi, November 12, 2009

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has decided to allow eunuchs and transsexuals to indicate their sex as "other" in electoral rolls in case they do not wish to be described as male or female.

Transsexuals were till now being registered either as male or as female, on the basis of the statement made by the person concerned, in the electoral rolls prepared by the ECI.

The Commission said in a statement today that it had been receiving representations from various individuals and interest groups, including some students of the Faculty of Law of KIIT, Bhubaneswar, Orissa, when the Chief Election Commissioner had gone to address them recently. They wanted transsexuals to be included in the electoral rolls with an independent identity, it said.

The statement said the decision would apply to all other forms used by the Commission wherein the provisions of indication of sex of the elector is made, including IT-based formats and websites.

It said the necessary instructions had been issued to all Electoral Registration Officers of all States and Union Territories to give effect to the decision.

Enumerators and booth level officers shall be instructed to indicate the sex of transsexuals as "O" if they so desire, while undertaking any house-to-house enumeration/verification of any application, the statement added.

NNN