They had been with Ziya Paval, their partner, for three years in Kozhikode, Kerala. Both had begun their gender transition years earlier: hormone therapy, surgeries, the long journey toward their final bodies. Zahhad had already undergone breast removal surgery. But one day, that process was put on hold. They wanted a child, and to make that possible, Zahhad paused their transition and became pregnant.

On February 8, 2023, their baby was born by cesarean section at the Government Medical College Hospital, weighing 2.920 kilos. It was the first documented case in India of a transgender man giving birth. But the story did not end there: when the time came to register the child, the couple asked for something no form provided for—that Ziya be listed as the mother and Zahhad as the father.

The hospital did not know how to respond. The case reached the Kerala High Court, which ultimately ruled in their favor: both could simply appear as ‘parents,’ without labels that did not represent who they are.