How transpersons are finding their unique voice

Mumbai: After her sixth cosmetic surgery in September 2022, Suchita M* thought her transformation from male to female was complete. She was keen to share her happiness with near and dear ones, in person and over the phone. But then, a seemingly insurmountable hurdle cropped up.

The 31-year-old realised that though she had acquired a new look, the masculine vocal cords still remained and she sounded like a man whenever she spoke.

“Voice reveals your identity. I am a woman by appearance, but when I start speaking, my masculine identity is revealed. I had a voice modulation which was not satisfying. So, I stopped interacting with people and speaking on phone,” said Suchita.

But now, after shutting herself off for nearly a year, she is back on her feet and very excited. The reason – on November 4, she will be undergoing Wendlers Glottoplasty, a voice changing surgery, to fulfil her dream.

The surgery will be performed by Dr Nupur Nerurkar, ENT surgeon at the Bombay Hospital and one of the thirteen doctors who formed the International Association of Trans Voice Surgeon (IATVS). The association, which was formed in Berlin last year, seeks to help transgender persons get the voice they deserve in the journey to discover their true selves. Suchita’s surgery will be performed during the association’s first conference, scheduled in Mumbai from November 3-5.

Persons like Suchita who are born male but identify as female face severe challenges with their voice, and surgeries can play a crucial role in helping them get integrated into the society, explained Nerurkar.

“For a trans person wanting to become a man, the voice becomes masculine within six months of getting testosterone injections. But in cases where males want to become female, the voice poses a major hindrance,” said Dr Nerurkar.

Trans persons in India who want to feminise their voice rely on voice modulations, she noted.

“They are taken off guard when they sneeze, cry, cough and the voice become masculine. They also face vocal fatigue and mental stress. in such cases, voice change surgery is the only permanent solution,” she said.

Till around fifty years ago, voice change surgeries involved a cut on the throat and stretching of the vocal cords. But now Wendlers Glottoplasty, named after the German otolaryngologist Jurgen Wendler and involving surgery via endoscopy, is the norm.

“We suture half of the membrane of the vocal fold endoscopically, which shortens the length of the vocal fold and pitch goes up. There is no cut on the throat and the change is permanent. All my patients are doing well,” she said.

Jurgen Wendler is among the 13 founding members of IATVS but he will not be able to attend the organisation’s first conference in Mumbai. Founding members who will be present include Dr Chadwan al Yaghchi from the UK, Dr Markus Hess, the president of IATVS from Germany, Dr Dirk Murbe from Germany, Dr Geneid Ahmed from Finland, Dr Hakan Birkent from Turkiye, Dr Hyung-Tae-Kim from South Korea, Dr James Thomas from USA and Dr Kursat Yelken from Turkiye.

Suchita is one of two trans persons who will undergo voice change surgery during the conference.

“I hope to start my own salon once the surgery is done,” she said, her eyes gleaming.