BBC Pidgin of Tuesday, 7 February 2023

Source: BBC

Di transgender couple wey dia pregnancy fotos go viral

Di couple dey expect dia baby soon Di couple dey expect dia baby soon

One pregnancy photoshoot wey one Indian transgender couple take don go viral on social media. Di couple bin pause dia hormone therapy to get pikin.

21-year-old Ziyal Paval and her 23-year-old partner Zahad, wey dey live for di southern state of Kerala bin dey di process of changing dia gender wen dem decide to get pikin.

Ms Paval wey tok she always wan be parent na male wen dem born am but now she dey identify as female.

Mr Zahad wey be female wen dem born am dey identity as man now. Currently e get belle and di couple dey expect dia baby soon.

Plenty pipo for social media don congratulate di couple.

"Trans pipo deserve family," one actress wey be transgender, S Negha bin comment on Ms Paval Instagram post, where she share di fotos.

India get estimate of around two million transgender pipo, although activists tok say di number dey higher. For 2014, India Supreme Court rule say dem get di same rights as pipo of oda genders.

However, dem still dey struggle to access education and healthcare and most times dem dey face prejudice and stigma.

How dem meet

Wen Ms Paval and Mr Zahad meet three years ago, both of dem don separate from dia families.

"I come from a conservative Muslim family wey no ever allow me to learn classical dance," Ms Paval tok. "[My parents] na orthodox to di point say dem go cut my hair so dat I no go fit dance."

Ms Paval say she comot house to participate for one youth festival and she no go back house again.

She learn how to dance for one transgender community centre. Now she dey teach students for Kozhikode district how to dance.

Mr Zahad, wey train as an accountant, come from a Christian family from di fishing community for Thiruvananthapuram city. E currently dey work for one supermarket.

E leave im family afta e come out as transgender to dem. But afta e become pregnant, im family don accept di couple and don dey supportive.

"Dem dey help Zahad during di pregnancy," Ms Paval tok.

Mr Zaha mother bin initially tell di couple say make dem no make dia pregnancy public. Dem announce am on dia Instagram page last week afta she give permission.

Ms Paval say her family neva still accept dem.

How di pregnancy take happun

Di couple bin decide to start a family and get baby one-and-a-half years ago, wen dem dey for different stages of dia gender transition, Ms Paval tell BBC.

Dem neva comot Mr Zahad ovaries and uterus, so di couple stop di hormone therapy as dia doctor advice.

Di couple doctors no dey authorised to speak to di media.

“Once dem born dia child, dem fit resume di sex hormone therapy,” Dr Mahesh DM, one endocrinologist for Bangalore city wey don work wit several transgender pipo tok.

Afta dem don born dia baby, di couple say dem go find more work to do to make ends meet.

"E no easy to survive," Ms Paval tok, she add say she go need take more dance students.

"Zahad go go back work about two months afta e deliver dia child. Den I go take care of di baby."

Di couple say di transgender community dey "very welcoming" of dia pregnancy.

"Of course, e get some pipo wey dey both within di transgender community and outside di community wey no believe in stereotypes. Dem tink say a trans man no fit carry pikin," Ms Paval tok.

"[But] e no mata."