Chennai's Ethiraj College takes a leap, enrolls its first-ever trans student

CHENNAI: Transwoman Shivin Palanivel had completed class 12 in 2022. But life took one too many twists and turns, forcing Shivin to shift from Theni to Chennai, where she faced several uncertainties until she became the first transwoman to be enrolled in Chennai’s Ethiraj College for Women in June 2025.

Shivin has been given admission in the Bachelor of Commerce in Corporate Secretaryship (BCom CS) with full scholarship by the university. After enrolling herself in the institution on Wednesday, Shivin calls the moment surreal.

Her journey to collegiate education was riddled with challenges, but is a smoother transition than the one she anticipated.

She had filled in the application form of the college and chose ‘others’ in the option for gender. The next thing she knows, she received a call from the chairman of the college, confirming her seat.

Speaking to DT Next, Shivin said, “After completing my school in 2022, I moved out of home to get medical treatment in Coimbatore. Subsequently, I shifted to Chennai in 2023, where I befriended my mother Shakshi. The trans community reveres Shakshi as a mother.”

Shivin, who has lost both her parents, manages to share a cordial relationship with her siblings, says Shakshi, who encourages her to study further.

“I was uncertain about the future. But I decided to study and also applied to a few colleges, where I was met with rejections. But, admission in Ethiraj has motivated me to study further and land a job in IT,” Shivin says.

Mike Muralidharan, the chairman of Ethiraj College, highlighted that admitting Shivin was a necessary move towards the goal of inclusivity in the university.

“As per my knowledge, many colleges have yet to take trans students. Hence, we decided to bring her in. She will definitely encourage others from the trans community to come forward and pursue collegiate education,” said Muralidharan.