A Nivetha became the first transgender student to write and pass the Class 10 board examinations in Tamil Nadu on Monday, 20 June.
The 18-year-old trans woman graduated with 42.4 percent from Lady Willingdon Higher School. She wants to pursue a career in science after this, The New Indian Express reported.
'Had To Discontinue Education for a While'
Nivetha's journey so far, however, hasn't been easy. At 14, when she came out to her parents, who work as daily wage labourers, they were nothing short of 'traumatised'.
To get past their disappointment, she even had to leave her home.
"For my parents, I was their older son. Like other parents, they, too, had a lot of expectations from their son, even more so as they are poor. They were traumatised when I told them I am a trans woman. There were a lot of fights as they were not ready to accept me," she said.
"Since childhood, I liked wearing bangles of my mother and draping her sarees, but when I was in Class 9 I was not able to continue as a boy. It was the most difficult phase of my life," Nivetha said.
The 18-year-old also said that she had to take a break from her education to deal with the pressures back home.
Following that, one of her neighbours connected her with another trans woman in Triplicane. 'Shambhavi Akka', who takes care of her expenses even now and lets her live with her, had helped her resume her studies back then.
Crediting her teachers and friends at her school, she told The New Indian Express:
"Nobody ever made fun of me at school. All teachers were very cooperative."
Now that she has passed Class 10, her parents are finally happy. "I informed my parents about my results and they were very happy," Nivetha said.
(With inputs from The New Indian Express.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)