World's first matrimonial site for transsexual women

Chennai: The Internet isn't just for fun facts or information it has also helped many people find true love. And now it's coming to the rescue of lonely transsexuals with thirunangai.net - India's first matrimonial website for transsexuals.

Image credits: IBN Live/ Thirunangai.net is India's first matrimonial website for transsexuals

Sowmiya, a transsexual is young, single and wants to settle down. She's looking for someone good-looking, educated who will accept her for who she is. Now her dream could come true with just a mouse click away. Thanks to thirunangai.net.

"I am confident that I will find the right person. But I'm still scared that the society and men will not accept a transsexual as a wife. But if they do and if someone comes forward to marry me, I'd love to get married and lead a happy life," said Sowmiya.

Thirunangai.net is an initiative by Sahodari Foundation, an organisation that has been working for the welfare of transsexuals.

It's just been days since the launch of the website and already hundreds of responses and queries are pouring in. Not just from India, but abroad as well.

"This is an attempt with two objectives. One is to find the right person for transsexuals and the other objective is to raise the issue of matrimonial rights and adoption rights for transsexual women," said, Founder-director, Sahodari Foundation, Kalki Subramaniam.

If the striking down of Article 377 was good news for the third gender, this website is big step forward. It hopes to secure for these transsexuals the respect they deserve, as the name of the website suggests.

Creating a new space

Kalki said that the reason why she thought of launching this website was because the profiles of the members of the transsexual community were being rejected by popular matrimonial websites.

“Some of the transsexual ladies wanted to upload their profiles on the popular matrimonial websites in the country and few of them even tried but their profiles were rejected because of the gender identity because they were not the biological women and that is the discrimination. So we wanted to take it in our own hands,” said Kalki.

Transsexuals in India are commonly referred to as hijras and often do not fit easily into society.
But widespread superstitions have also accorded them a certain amount of fearful respect, while a handful has been elected to public office.

Singing and dancing bands of sari-clad hijras will often appear, invited or otherwise, at weddings and at the blessing ceremonies of newborn babies.