Meet Beoncy, Northeast's First Transgender Doctor On Forefront Combating COVID-19

In an inspiring story, 27-year-old Beoncy Laishram from Manipur has become the first transgender doctor from entire northeast India to be on the frontline combating the coronavirus outbreak.

A former student of Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Imphal, Beoncy now attends to the patients infected with coronavirus in the isolation wards at Imphal's Shija Hospital and Research Centre and has become a source of inspiration for the state's marginalised Nupi Maanbi (transwoman) community.

"I was born a boy, but by the time I was in Class IX or X, I did not identify as male. I got through MBBS at RIMS in 2011, and decided to come out to my family in 2013. My father was so upset he tried to kill himself," Beoncy told The Times of India.

She decided not to come out of the closet to protect her family but around 2016, she realised that she could no longer live the denial and started identifying herself as a Nupi Maanbi.

She earlier went by the name of Boboi Laishram, and officially changed her name to Beoncy in 2013 after participating in a beauty pageant 'Miss Trans Queen Northeast.' She mentioned that she has repaired ties with her family and is currently on good terms with her parents.

She identifies herself as a post-operative transwoman after undergoing sex reassignment surgery in Puducherry. She has also been also working towards helping the disadvantaged Nupi Maanbis get access to healthcare.

"I feel that this is just a stepping stone to my success and my future. So I wanted to complete my studies and to show to the world that transgender is not only confining to the beauty parlours but can pursue our career in other professions as well," she told East Mojo

Also Read: West Bengal: Two Seats To Be Reserved For Transgenders In Buses