Syama S. Prabha and Manu Karthika
Thiruvananthapuram: Trans couple Syama S. Prabha and Manu Karthika are determinant about getting legally married in their own identity, despite the absence of a law that facilitates it. As of now, marriages between transgenders can be only registered by mentioning their binary identities (male and female) in the legal papers. However, the duo wants to follow such a compromise that implicitly devalues their identities. They identify themselves as transgenders and both possess transgender ID cards issued by the Social Justice Department. The duo is all set to fight against the void in the law and assert their transgender identities.
The marriage will be held at Thiruvananthapuram’s Edapazhanji on February 14, which is observed as Valentine’s Day. More interestingly, the wedding as per Hindu rituals and their families are also in support of their relationship.
The duo knows each other for 10 years. In 2017, Manu proposed Syama and decided to get married. At that time both had not had their sex reassignment surgeries. They neither had regular income too. Both had to depend on their families and they postponed the union. Syama now works as a State Project officer under Social Justice Department’s Transgender Cell, while Manu is a Senior HR Executive and works in Technopark. Syama hails from Thiruvananthapuram, while Manu is from Thrissur.
The duo is about to approach the court for legal recourse as there is no clarity of law with regard to marriage between transgenders. Even the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 has anything specific to marriages. They are planning to approach High Court over the matter.
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