February 6, 2023
NEW DELHI – Zahhad, a 23-year-old trans man from Kerala, is expecting a baby next month, in what is reportedly the first such pregnancy of a trans person in India.
Zahhad, who is now eight months pregnant, is preparing to welcome the baby with his partner Ziya Paval. Ziya, who is a classical dancer, took to Instagram and announced that her partner, Zahhad, is now eight months pregnant.
Zahhad and Ziya Paval have been living together in Kozhikode for the last three years. Ziya was born a man and changed into a woman and Zahhad was born a woman and transformed into a man. Both of them left their families during their early adulthood after becoming aware of their transgender identities
It was two years ago that they initiated their gender transition. When they started dreaming of a child, they halted their gender-transition hormone therapy and Zahhad became pregnant. “Once he delivers the baby, which is due in March, he will continue his journey to become a man,” said 21-year-old Paval.
“Since we started living together, we had dreams of becoming a parent. Though we had made attempts to adopt a child, we felt it was difficult for a trans couple to adopt a child due to legal implications involved. Then we thought about getting our own child,” Zia said
“We had the support of the doctors of Kozhikode Medical College Hospital where Zahhad is getting medical aid. As he had already removed both breasts, we hope to feed the child from the milk bank at the medical college,” she further said.