'India's First Trans Pilot': At First Declared As 'Unfit,' Now DGCA Asks To Reapply For Medical Test

In a positive development for India's first 23-year-old trans pilot, Adam Harry, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has asked him to reapply for a medical assessment. Earlier, Harry's medical application was rejected by the DGCA, saying that he's 'unfit to fly.'

The latest development comes after the centre's intervention over denying permission to fly commercial planes to the Kerala native. The Union Ministry of social justice and empowerment triggered a letter on July 11 to the aviation regulator over the denial of a private pilot license to Harry and called it 'discriminatory.'

On Wednesday, Harry received an email from the DGCA telling him to reapply for the medical assessment. Upon receiving the email, he said, "I received an email from DGCA, which looked somewhat positive. I will do as per the directions, but my fight will not stop even if my issues are resolved," reported Times Now.

Harry's Fight For 'Transphobic' Administration

In 2019, the Kerala native applied for the medical clearance of DGCA to secure a private-pilot license (PPL) which would have let him clear the course at Rajiv Gandhi Academy for Aviation Technology Thiruvananthapuram. The DGCA rejected his application and declared him 'unfit to fly as he was undergoing the hormone therapy necessary for every trans person to support biological transformation.

Harry then called it a 'transphobic' move and challenged DGCA through a petition in the Kerala High Court, which is still in process. After receiving an email for re-assessment, Harry said he would comply with the aviation regulator's requirement. Still, the fight will continue till the civil aviation industry doesn't provide constructive guidelines and medical standards for transgender pilot aspirants, he added.

Netizens React

After DGCA's comment on Harry, the users across social media platforms started reacting with major disappointment. A Twitter user wrote, "What Adam is facing is the tragedy of how woefully inadequate the current system is when it comes to providing support for trans people." In the thread, the same user said, "I had recently come to learn that Praveen Nath, another trans man from Nenmara, Palakkad, had also been facing a similar struggle."

Two recent incidents had emphasised the intensity of the transphobia perpetuated by the society we live in. One was the case of Adam Harry, who has been forced into a legal fight with the DGCA for a commercial pilot's licence in India, all due to his identity as a trans man.

— Dr R Bindu (@rbinducpm) July 8, 2022

DGCA's Requirements For Harry

The aviation regulator has asked the trans pilot to apply for a name change as he applied in 2019 for DGCA registration with his old name- Aisha TS. In 2020, he underwent gender transformation from female to male and changed his name- Adam Harry. The DGCA has also asked him to register on the e-Governance portal of Civil Aviation as 'transgender.'

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