Dr. V.S. Priya on ‘Experiences as a physician in the workplace’ (edited, in the speaker’s own words):

My name is Dr. V.S. Priya, I am from Thissur, Kerala, and I'm really happy to be here. I'm a medical practitioner and postgraduate -- I completed my graduation in 2009 and my post-graduation in 2012 and currently I'm practicing in Sitaram Hospital in Thrissur.

My story is definitely positive, and a happy story, because, you know, the greatest hurdle, the greatest villain was myself. I was not acknowledging myself, my gender identity -- I was running away from my gender identity.

Since I started practicing, I was in a confused stage. I didn't want my profession to come to a standstill because of my gender identity. I wanted to continue as a practitioner, I wanted to continue as a doctor. But then I wanted to be myself too.

There was a constant struggle happening between these two and finally, I decided to give up my profession for myself, for my gender identity, and I started transitioning after I entered my profession.

I've been working in Sitaram Hospital since 2014, and I transitioned in the same workplace, where I joined.

It was a very difficult task for me, to sensitize my co-workers, to sensitize my colleagues. Thissur is not as much of an 'advanced' place -- it's like a normal place where people are very judgmental about transgender people.

So I was confused and started a 'silent sensitization' from the cleaning staff to the management staff. I started conversing with each and every one of them and started silently sensitizing them.

But I didn't start by telling them that I'm transgender because I knew if I start with that, in the beginning, they wouldn't have listened to me. They would be judgmental, and maybe I would have had to resign.

Continued: https://www.pixstory.com/story/medical-spaces-and-trans-inclusion-the-same-old-person-the-same-old-doctor-dr-priya1652248422/99576