What DGCA's new medical guidelines prescribe for transgender persons

Though regulator revised rules after government intervention, transgender applicants still have a long road ahead

In a landmark move, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) released new medical guidelines that will help transgender persons who have completed their gender transition therapy or surgery to fly private and commercial aircrafts.

The move is being seen as a positive development for the transgender community, specifically India’s first transgender trainee pilot, 23-year-old Adam Harry, who was declared unfit to fly by the DGCA in 2019 on grounds of life-long gender-change therapy.

In an earlier statement, issued on July 13, the DGCA had said an ongoing therapy wouldn’t be grounds for disqualification either, if they have reached a