Cop who underwent sex change surgery becomes father
A police constable in Mumbai, Lalit Salve, who underwent sex-reassignment surgery to become a man, has become a father and plans to provide a gender-neutral environment for his child. Salve, who underwent the surgery in 2017, is now offering counselling to others seeking sex reassignment. He highlighted the importance of family support and warned about the high cost of private surgery, with only two public hospitals in Mumbai offering the procedure. The surgery process typically takes more than two years, including pre-operative counselling and hormone therapy.
Mumbai: Five years after he made headlines for undergoing a sex-reassignment surgery to become a man, police constable Lalit Salve, 36, embraced fatherhood on January 15 when his wife Seema delivered a baby boy.
“We will provide him with a gender-neutral environment at home, so that he grows up to understand and articulate his own gender identity – we will support whatever call he takes,” Salve, currently posted in Sambhaji Nagar, told HT over the phone.
Brought up as a woman since childhood, Salve underwent a genetic test called karyotyping (analysis of the entire chromosome complement) in early 2017, which established his gender identity as male. In November 2017, he moved the Bombay high court seeking a month’s leave to undergo sex-reassignment surgery, which was granted.
Salve underwent three surgeries in the state-run St George Hospital in Fort before marrying Seema on February 16, 2019. Elated at the birth of their first child, he vouched to shun all gender stereotypes in his upbringing.
“I was fascinated with motorcycles while growing up, but my brothers and relatives told me that motorcycles were for boys, and being a girl, I should look at scooters. As parents, we will ensure that we don’t do any such thing,” he said, with Seema recuperating from the C-section surgery at home, by his side.
{{/usCountry}}“I was fascinated with motorcycles while growing up, but my brothers and relatives told me that motorcycles were for boys, and being a girl, I should look at scooters. As parents, we will ensure that we don’t do any such thing,” he said, with Seema recuperating from the C-section surgery at home, by his side.
{{/usCountry}}The couple has decided to name their son Aarush, which means the first rays of the sun. “He has brought new hope in our lives. Seema’s family had some reservations when we got married – they were not happy after getting to know my story. But Aarush’s birth has changed everything,” said Salve.
{{/usCountry}}The couple has decided to name their son Aarush, which means the first rays of the sun. “He has brought new hope in our lives. Seema’s family had some reservations when we got married – they were not happy after getting to know my story. But Aarush’s birth has changed everything,” said Salve.
{{/usCountry}}Dr Rajat Kapoor, the plastic surgeon who had operated on Salve, clarified that though Salve had sired a child, not everyone who underwent sex reassignment surgery could hope to do so. “Though Salve had monorchism (only one testicle), he also had a small penis by birth which the surgery helped enhance. This facilitated his siring a child,” said Dr Kapoor.
{{/usCountry}}Dr Rajat Kapoor, the plastic surgeon who had operated on Salve, clarified that though Salve had sired a child, not everyone who underwent sex reassignment surgery could hope to do so. “Though Salve had monorchism (only one testicle), he also had a small penis by birth which the surgery helped enhance. This facilitated his siring a child,” said Dr Kapoor.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, Salve has become the de-facto go-to person for many seeking sex reassignment.
“My journey from desiring sex reassignment to undergoing it at the state-run St George Hospital to marriage has helped me understand what the person in question undergoes. My first question to them is if they are aware about why they want to undergo the surgery and if their parents are aware about their desire,” said the constable who has counselled over 30 individuals regarding the matter.
He said though many fear speaking to their parents about such things, he advocates taking parents along for pre-operative counselling. “Through my personal experience, I know that family support is a must. Before sex reassignment surgery, a person undergoes psychiatric counselling and medical evaluation to ascertain their gender. Once the parents know the actual gender, they usually support the surgery,” he said.
The constable warned that raising funds for sex reassignment surgery could be daunting, as private hospitals charge around ₹7-9 lakh. Only two public hospitals in the city perform the surgery – the Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital in Sion and the St George Hospital in Fort. The cosmetology outpatient department at St George, however, was shut during Covid-19 pandemic and restarted again in August 2023.
Sagar Gundewar, plastic surgeon who heads the department, said sex reassignment takes more than two years, including almost six months of pre-operative counselling, hormone therapy and a series of major and minor surgeries. “The journey of sex reassignment begins with psychiatrists’ evaluation followed by hormone therapy. Genital surgery is the last process. With the OPD starting, we will now have the entire process under one roof,” he said.
