Former West Bengal CM’s daughter decided to undergo gender change, said- ‘I have identified myself as a man’
Suchetna Bhattacharya, daughter of former West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, has declared herself a ‘transman’ and said that she will soon undergo sex reassignment surgery (SRS). The matter first came to light through a post by LGBTQ activist Suprava Roy. Roy had uploaded a picture of Suchetna addressing a seminar on the livelihood of the people of the community.
Former CM’s daughter will be known as ‘Suchetan’
According to Roy, at the seminar Suchetna declared herself a transman and also said that she would be known as ‘Suchetan’ after the sex-change surgery. Suchetana later confirmed the veracity of the post to a section of the media. Further he said that after the age of 41 it is his own decision as an adult man. Suchetna says that she has identified herself as a man since childhood. In this regard, she is gathering information on legal advice aspects. She wants to get all the certificates so that there is no legal problem regarding this later.
‘I am mentally a transman’
Suchetna said, “Father is aware of this since childhood. This is my decision only. I want to appeal to all that this news should not be misrepresented. This is my struggle and I want to fight it myself. Better late than never. Many people have supported me in this, while many people created ruckus. Mentally I am a transman and physically I want to be one.”
What effect will this step of awareness have on the society?
Actress and rights activist Usashi Chakraborty pointed out that it is not easy for someone like Suchetna, whose father was a former chief minister of the state, to come out with such courage and announce such a decision. Ushashi said, “I think this bold step taken by Suchetna will encourage many others to come out of the veil and express their feelings. Many people are afraid to speak openly. The more people come forward, the stronger will be the social movement on this issue. Steps taken by people like Suchetna will surely have a big impact on the society.”
Kaushik Gupta, senior advocate of the Calcutta High Court and a prominent face of the LGBTQ movement in Kolkata, agreed with Ushashi Chakraborty on this point. Gupta said the idea is to establish freedom of choice and freedom of expression. There have been cases of people having sex reassignment surgery in the past. His initiative to encourage others to come out is equally commendable. But when a person coming from a reputed background speaks openly on such an issue, it has a big impact on the society.
