Dr VS Priya was assigned male at birth by an ayurvedic doctor while she understood realised that she identifies as a female during her childhood
Transgenders had a slight to no chance of getting accepted as they are in our society. Everyone wants to label them as they see fit without acknowledging their emotions but the world is changing and so are the perspectives of people and Dr VS Priya is a bright and shining example of that.
Ten years ago, transgenders would not have been encouraged enough to go ahead and pursue the career they want but today it is possible. Though many still struggle for survival in this world, Dr Priya was privileged and supported by her parents mentally and financially when she decided to go through transition.
She was assigned male at birth by an ayurvedic doctor while she understood realised that she identifies as a female during her childhood. The idea of living in the wrong body troubled her and she was scared to admit this in front of her parents. "I didn’t know how they were going to take the news. All I could do at the time was to write my problems down in my diary which they eventually found," said Dr Priya.
Even though she was scared, she eventually did tell her parents about the way she felt. "The first thing my parents did was take me to a hospital, assuming a psychiatrist could help me. Thankfully, the doctor also said that I didn’t have any mental issues. But, it was then when I was 15 that I understood I wouldn’t be able to reveal my identity to society for fear of being mocked or bullied," said Dr Priya.
Dr Priya struggled in her childhood trying to hide her identity from those who would constantly harass her but she had decided that once she was done with school she would move to a different place and live as a woman. She said, "As my parents are both nurses, they wanted both my brother and me to become doctors. While my brother completed his MBBS and is presently working in a hospital in Bengaluru, I wanted to be a teacher. Nonetheless, I decided to try my hands at medicine for the sake of my parents."
After school, she went on to join the Vaidyaratnam Ayurveda College, Ollur, Thrissur in 2013 where she completed her Bachelor of Ayurveda, Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) as a man and to avoid questions on marriage, she later pursued Medicinae Doctor (MD) in Mangaluru. Once this was over, she got an opportunity to work as a guest lecturer in Government Ayurveda Medical College, Tripunithura and Government Ayurveda College, Kannur.
As she went on with her life, it became difficult every day to be someone she was not. "During this period, I tried really hard to be more manly. From my walking style to dressing like a man, I was very particular about not revealing my feminine identity," she adds.
In 2018, she joined the Sitaram Ayurveda Hospital, Thrissur as a doctor. As a professional, she was seeing success but her identity still troubled her and she knew that it was time to inform her parents about it. "I started to research gender reassignment surgery, its costs and aftermath. With confidence, I then told my parents the truth. They were more saddened than shocked and I can understand their feelings, but I wouldn’t be doing justice to myself if I didn’t reveal the truth. Ultimately, it was my research that helped me convince my parents," she said.
Dr Priya has already undergone six surgeries and two more are left. She said, "The cost of the surgeries differs according to needs. A normal transplant surgery costs up to Rs 3 lakh but I wanted it to be perfect. So, I opted for a costlier surgery of Rs 8 lakh. I took the money for the operations from my savings but 95 per cent of it was given by my parents."
She was concerned about her returning to the hospital with her new identity but when she informed the hospital authorities about her operations they were all very welcoming and supported her decision of transition. More than anything, she was concerned about her patients and didn't know how they would react to it. "I was also tensed about my regular patients and how they would react to my new identity. So, I informed them and prepared them for the change. Most of them were curious to know about the surgery and I cleared all their doubts as it is my social responsibility towards them as a transwoman doctor," she said.
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 "Dr VS Priya")
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