Shree Ghatak Muhuri has become the first transgender woman to legally marry in Kolkata, India’s second-biggest city.

The 30-year-old married her childhood ceremony Sanjay Muhuri in a lavish ceremony on Saturday which is believed to be a first in the state of West Bengal.

The couple met 16 years but Shree said she was very confused about her feelings because she was still presenting as a boy.

‘I was in class VIII when I began getting attracted to Sanjay,’ she told Enewsroom.

‘It was just like any woman gets attracted towards a man. But it was so confusing for me.

‘Being a woman trapped in a man’s body, made feel lonely, strange and bad at times.

‘Making things worse was the fact that there was no one in my family to understand my feelings.’

The couple can now live openly

The couple had an unofficial wedding last year after Shree underwent gender reassignment ceremony.

‘It was a social marriage. Back then I didn’t have any documents supporting my transition, so we went ahead with a social wedding,’ she said.

‘It took me about a year’s time to get my gender identity sorted out on papers. And now that it’s done, we decided to get our marriage registered.’

Shree admits to facing discrimination growing up and keeping her relationship with Sanjay under wraps until she transitioned because he faced ridicule at work.

‘You know, even today, there is so much stigma associated with being a trans woman,’ she said.

‘Despite the law of the nation giving us an identity, we have to face a lot of apartheid.

‘Initially our families were very much opposed to us getting married. They were worried about what people would say.

‘But once I underwent the surgery, to be what I had always been – a woman, my in-laws welcomed me with open arms.’