12 Nov 2009
EUNUCHS GET SEPARATE CATEGORY IN ELECTORAL ROLLS
From Our Bureau
NEW DELHI: Eunuchs and transsexuals get an independent identity in the electoral rolls as the Election Commission on Thursday decided to register them in the new category of "other."
They no longer have to bear the torture of hiding themselves as different from males and females and register as either male or female, the only two categories they have to opt to indicate their sex.
The states' chief electoral officers have been asked to direct the enumerators to indicate their sex as "O" if they so desire during the house-to-house enumeration and verification, an Election Commission announcement here said.
It said this will also apply to other forms of the Election Commission in which sex of the voter is written.
"In the electoral rolls prepared by the Election Commission of India, the eunuchs were hitherto registered either as male or as female, on the basis of the statement made by the person concerned. This practice was being followed so far for indicating the sex of the eunuchs in the electoral roll," it said.
The commission said it had been receiving representations from various individuals and interest groups to include the eunuchs in the electoral rolls with an independent identity.
"The commission has duly considered the request and has decided to allow eunuchs/ transsexuals to indicate their sex as 'Other' where they do not want to be described as male or female," it added.
###
--
No comments:
Post a Comment