India's first transgender pilot

Adam Harry hoped to become India's first trans pilot. Now he is fighting for justice after he was declared "unfit" to fly due to his transgender transition.

Harry is sure that he was born to fly. From a very early age, the family financed my studies at an aviation school in South Africa. However, when he made the transition, they terminated the training agreement.

However, the 23-year-old managed to obtain a private pilot's license, allowing him to fly as a hobby, and upon returning to India, he received funding from the Kerala government to continue his training and obtain a commercial license.

But his career aspirations were halted in 2020 when India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) told him he was "unfit to fly". We previously wrote about attitudes towards LGBT people in India.

Harry claims he was deemed unfit after a medical examination because he had started hormone therapy. Knowing he would have to take hormones for the rest of his life, he told a BBC journalist:

“It was like choosing between my career and my gender identity. There are many pilots around the world who fly airplanes being themselves. Why am I worse? I have a medical clearance from the South African Civil Aviation Authority, which does not prevent me from taking hormones, transitioning or doing what I love.”

India's federal ministry of social justice and empowerment contacted the aviation department, accusing it of discrimination. It also ordered the regulator to update its policies to be more inclusive of transgender workers.

In response, the DGCA stated in a press release that hormone therapy would not disqualify Harry from flying, and that he would finally be able to reapply for medical clearance as his true self two years later.

Harry is happy that he can once again pursue his dream of becoming a commercial pilot. He still plans to take the DGCA to court to ensure that no other transgender person faces the same situation.

“The victory is temporary as the DGCA is yet to develop new requirements and rules for medical assessment of how transgender persons will undergo medical examinations,” the future pilot added.