Landmark ruling: Kerala HC allows gender-neutral term 'parent' in birth certificate for trans couple

Kochi: In a landmark order, the Kerala High Court has allowed a transgender couple's plea to change the designation of 'father' and 'mother' in their biological child’s birth certificate to a gender-neutral term ‘parent', reported Bar and Bench.

Justice Ziyad Rahman A.A., who delivered the ruling, directed authorities to issue a modified birth certificate reflecting both petitioners simply as parents, without referencing their genders.

"This writ petition is disposed of directing the fifth respondent to issue birth certificate with the modification by removing the columns of names of father and mother and by incorporating the names of the petitioners as parents without referring to their genders," the order stated.

Back in 2023, the state’s first transgender parents moved the Kerala High Court to change details in their biological child’s birth certificate from ‘mother’ and ‘father’ to just ‘parent’.

The petition was moved by Zahad, a transman and Ziya Paval, a transwoman.