On Monday, 2 December, 25-year-old Anbu Ruby became the first transgender to have been appointed as a nurse by Tamil Nadu Health and Family Welfare Department. The transgender woman received the appointment order from Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and Health Minister C Vijayabaskar.
Vijayabaskar told ANI, "First time in the history of health and welfare department, we have recruited a transgender as a nurse. It is a very proud moment for the state.”
Expressing deep gratitude to the government, Ruby said, "I am really happy about this. I have become the first transgender woman in India to be appointed as a nurse. I express my deep gratitude to the chief minister and the health minister.”
Ruby, who hails from Thoothukudi, completed BSc Nursing in 2016 from a private college in Tirunelveli and then went on to study a distance education course in MBA in Hospital Management.
“I want to be an example for my community. Many of them should come out and achieve in their lives. I also want to serve society in whatever way I can. That is why I chose nursing.”Anbu Ruby
Further, Ruby informed that she has undergone a lot of struggle to receive her education. "I belong to a middle-class family and with a lot of struggle, have received my education. My father lost his eyesight at my little age and later my mother started selling banana leaves to earn money for the family and my education,” ANI quoted her as saying.
Meanwhile, commenting on the level of awareness that the society has towards transgenders, she said, “The society is not much aware of the transgender people. They should accept the transgender. Acceptance is a cure.”
(With inputs from ANI, The Hindu)
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