Chennai sources stated that thirty six year old Sathyasri Sharmila is Tamilnadu's first transgender to enroll in Tamilnadu and Puducherry Bar Council and register herself as a lawyer on Saturday. Meanwhile as per report she said as she sat among the 485 other lawyers, her name definitely stood out. Further the going surely got tough, but when the judges called out her name as the first transgender lawyer in the state, she forgot all her woes.
She was born as Udhayakumar in Paramakudi, Ramanathapuram district, Sharmila left her home to study law in Salem at the age of 18 and eventually changed her name to Sathyasri Sharmila. Meanwhile she, however, enrolled as a man in Salem Government College to study law, which posed its own set of difficulties. She said "She left home but could not stay in the college hostel and she could not live among men because she identified herself as a woman. Neither could she live with girls because she enrolled as a man".
Moreover she said "It was the plight of our community that made me
decide to take up law. Apart from that, it was her father's dream to see me as a
lawyer". Moreover after appreciating her efforts, Tamilnadu Transgender
Welfare Association said that their community would be represented in the
lawyers' community. Sudha, member of the association said "Apart from
representation, we would also be respected”.
