Transwoman Teacher Alleges She Was Fired Due To Her Gender Identity

An incident in a small town in the state of Uttar Pradesh brought forward a situation where a transgender woman was rebuked and disrespected for how she identified. The transwoman teacher alleged that a private school in UP hired her but instructed her to keep her identity a secret after they learned of it through her documents. However, the woman was asked to resign after revealing her identity to some staff members.

The 29-year-old transwoman landed a job as an English teacher at a school in UP's Lakhimpur Kheri district but she was told to keep her identity secret. She alleged that the management asked her to resign after some of the staff members and students learned of the same.

Suggested reading: Trans Rights And Political Backlash: Five Key Moments In History

UP school fires trans teacher

According to a recent report, the transwoman belongs to Delhi and was hired as an English and social science teacher by a private school in UP's Lakhimpur Kheri district.

She alleged that the management learned of her identity through her documents and while they hired her, they instructed her to keep her gender identity a secret. However, on November 22, they asked her to resign when they learned she had disclosed her gender to some members of the staff and a few students.

On being confronted, the school management refuted the allegations made by the woman stating that she was fired because she was not a good teacher in one of the subjects they had appointed her to teach at the school.

The woman spoke to the media and made a statement saying that she went through a three-stage interview and that is how she was hired as a teacher of the trained graduate teacher (TGT) level for both subjects. She continued narrating her deal saying that she was, however, asked to leave because she went beyond what she was instructed when it came to her identity.

She alleged she was trolled and rebuked owing to her physical features, unlike other women. According to her, it was when several students and staff members made fun of her and referred to her as hijra that she decided to teach them about gender identities and sensitivity when it came to laws around the community.

She expressed that her ride-in belongs to the community and that is how members of the school earned the same, she added.

Woman reached out to the Delhi Commission for Women

The managing director of the school, Sunny Gupta, told the news agency that they fired her because she could not teach well and not because of the community she belonged to.

The managing director added that she is an excellent English teacher but lacked in-depth knowledge of social science, a subject they had primarily hired her for. He mentioned that because the board examinations were a few months away, they did not want to risk the studies of students.

He stated that her gender identity did not matter to them and they would still love to have her back if they require an English teacher.

The woman, who claimed that her teaching skills were always above par and she was appreciated for the same, immediately contacted the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) for help and they instructed her to file a complaint at the local station.

The DCW then sent the local police to the private school and the woman soon after received her relieving letter via email in December first week. The letter stated that she was incompetent and had difficulty teaching social sciences, which was the reason they fired her.