Transgender should have option to choose gender: House panel
A transgender person should have the option to choose either "man, woman, or transgender", according to a parliamentary committee's report on The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill. Earlier, it was recommended in the Bill that a transgender should be declared as the third gender. 
As the bill to provide rights to transgender community is being debated at length, Parliament's Standing Committee on Social Justice And Empowerment has recommended that a transgender person should have the option to choose either "man, woman or transgender".Earlier, it was recommended in the bill that transgender should be declared as the Third Gender.The Standing Committee's tabled its report on The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016.The Committee headed by Ramesh Bais, also stated that it would like to assure and remind to all the members of transgender community that, "A historic shift is underway, you are not alone in your struggle for the end of violence and discrimination. It is a shared struggle. Transgender is not an anomaly. It is a part of the spectrum of people's realities. While there is no shame in being gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or intersex or even straight - there is a must shame and dishonour in being a homophobe, a transphobe and a bigot."The Parliamentary Panel found that the present definition of transgender person does not conform with the definition prescribed by the Supreme Court.The Committee felt that the definition of 'transgender person' will be the fulcrum of any legislation on transgender rights and welfare and the whole law would depend on the scope of this definition.The Committee felt that the proposed definition of 'transgender person' in the bill is in stark contrast to global developments, where transgender persons have been granted the right to self determine and to seek benefits according to such identity. More So, it not only violates the fundamental rights to equality, dignity, autonomy, but also freedom of transgender persons guaranteed under Article 14, 19 and 21 of the constitution.Whereas Bill defines Transgender as: Neither Wholly female or wholly male. A combination of female or male.The Standing Committee also recommended a change in Clause 2(c) in bill which defines ''inclusive education'' for transgenders.The committee recommended: Inclusive education means a system of education wherein transgender and gender non-conforming students along with other students learn together without the fear of bullying , singling out and other forms of harassment and the system of teaching and learning is suitably adapted to meet the learning needs of such students.The Standing Committee on Social Justice even recommended that Central and State governments and civil society should adopt measures for generating awareness regarding transgenders.