Transgender men in Tamil Nadu flag healthcare, welfare concerns

Lack of proper counselling, adverse side-effects of high-dosage hormone therapies, and apathy among medical professionals remain major challenges for transgender men accessing healthcare at the 12 government-run gender clinics set up across the State.

This was highlighted at a State-level trans men consultation meeting held in Chennai on Wednesday (February 25, 2026), where trans men and allies aired their grievances before representatives from the government.

“When we speak of the transgender community, we speak mainly about trans women. Most of the medical research we have is based on trans women. There is hardly any research on trans men,” said Priya Babu, trans rights activist and managing trustee of Transgender Resource Center, Madurai, which organised the event with the support of Omega Forum for Social Impact.

Ms. Babu added that this is the first such consultation meeting for trans men held in Tamil Nadu, and that the State’s policies have played a vital role in including them in the public discourse.

A trans man from Madurai, who has been on hormones for the past nine months, pointed out that when he first approached the Madurai Government Hospital (GH), he was given 1,000 mg of hormones and experienced severe side effects: acne and periods lasting over 20 days straight. He said the hormones were not prescribed according to his body type, which put him under severe stress.

Another trans man from Tirunelveli pointed out that he was needlessly subjected to a genital examination before top surgery, causing him a lot of discomfort. He then sought treatment at a private clinic.

Some trans people also raised concerns that there is not enough psychological support in the form of counselling at the gender clinics, and they often face transactional interactions with medical professionals.

‘An evolving discipline’

G. Gerard Maria Selvam, Additional Director of the National Health Mission, Tamil Nadu, listened to their grievances and assured that action would be taken wherever possible. “We want to understand the issues you face and how we can improve services at the transgender clinics. This is an evolving discipline, so there needs to be constant feedback,” Dr. Gerard told the participants.

S. Gunasekari, Joint Director (Women Commission), Social Welfare and Women Empowerment Department, said that public awareness about trans men is limited. “Education is very important for trans people. The State government has created shelters for them, which are especially used by trans men. We also provide higher education assistance for trans people through the Transgender Welfare Board,” she added.

L. Ramakrishnan, senior vice president, SAATHI, conducted a session to raise awareness about the basic biological issues that trans men may face, such as the side-effects of hormone therapy, and elaborated on globally accepted standards of care for trans people.