Third sex now an option in Indian Passport forms 

A welcome step has been taken by Indian Bureaucracy to enlist Eunuchs by giving the option to enter their sex as 'E' instead of either 'M' or 'F' in passport application forms on the net.  According to Gender Rights Activists says that it is the first time that Eunuchs as a social grouping found a place in  Official Indian forms, with the provision of a 'third sex' category on Indian passport Application. However this move is welcome by the activist and they say that the use of the word 'eunuch' ignores the existence other transgenders. On www.passport.nic.in -- the passport office website which is run by the Indian ministry of external affairs -- the prospective applicant encounters an option, under the category 'sex', not included in any other government form. 

Under 'rules', the applicant is invited to click either 'M' (for male) or 'F' (for female) as his/her gender. "For eunuch, please write 'E' in the box." ambivalence about this gender category remains. The third option appears on the website; it is not available on the application form itself. In column 3 of the form against  which the instruction is issued,a person can choose only between 'M' and 'F'. Inclusion of the 'E' category, even if only on the website's form, is being seen as a huge victory for activists working for the rights of transgender people. Adding 'E' on the passport form is a significant step for the 25 to 30 million transgender people in the country. "This is the first time that any official document has recognised them as a sex. They are a huge minority and this means that they are being taken into account."