LGBTQ+ couple Manu Karthika and Syama S Prabha moved Kerala High Court to register their marriage under the Special Marriage Act. By this move, the couple wants to ensure that their wedding is registered as a marriage between two transgenders.They will get married on February 14, 2022, that is, Valentine’s Day. It will be a traditional Hindu ceremony.
“We're planning to approach Kerala HC to register our marriage under transgender identity, instead of the gender binary (male-female) under Special Marriage Act. Transgender couples who obtain their id cards as male and female get their marriages registered under the Special Marriage Act. But we got ourselves identified as transgender in our ids, so we're not able to register our marriage under the Act, which is why we'll approach Court,” Manu was quoted by a national publication.
The couple highlighted that according to the Rights of Transgender Persons Bill, 2014, and Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 they have the legal right to get married as transgender individuals.
The couple hopes it will inspire many other such couples to do the same.
Karthika is an HR professional while Prabha is pursuing her PhD from Kerala University. Both of them have the support of their families now. However, Manu says that initially, it was only his mother who supported him.
Image Courtesy: Indiatimes and Instagram/manu_karthika