Renowned speaker and staunch advocate of gender equality, Jessica Lynn is known all over the world for her refreshingly honest and dynamic oration. The 51-year old travels to universities around the globe to spread awareness about life and issues faced by the transgender community. In a tete-a-tete with Hyderabad Times, the mother-of-three spoke about her struggles living as a woman in a man's body, the discrimination she faced from the society and how education about the transgender community can help society accept them as its own. Excerpts...Being a transgender woman, I have faced a lot of discrimination in my country. Only because I underwent an operation to become a woman, a judge in Texas, US denied me my parental rights over my youngest child when he was 12. My name too was removed from his birth certificate post the operation. I was never allowed to meet, talk, call or hold my little boy because I'm a transgender woman.My life is like that old adage — 'Born in the wrong body'. From the age of 3 or 4, I knew I wanted to be a girl. I vividly remember, it was 1969, and I use to feel that I am the only person in the world to have such a feeling. I used to inconsolably cry and tried to kill myself eight times because I felt I'm not perfect and that something is seriously wrong with me. But finally at the age of 45 when I underwent the sex operation I felt relieved. I felt perfect when I looked into the mirror. I was happy that my body I see in the mirror was in sync with what I feel about it in my head. I had breasts, could let my hair grow longer, dress ladylike and all those changes calmed me down, After being forced to live like a man for most part of my life, post operation I could be what I always wanted to be — a woman.I love Indians because they are very emotional and kind-hearted. But when I saw the transgender community here I felt they need to be treated better. Up to an extent, the community enjoys acceptance here but they are not employed. There is an urgent need to educate them so that they could be incorporate in the public workforce to become lawyers, doctors, teachers, nurses among others.I communicated with a few transgenders here and understood that the common people here, just like in US, are not open to transgenders because they don't know much about them. Education can help people have a better understanding about the transgender communities and their problems. I'm not here to compare the United States with India about how they treat transgenders, but I feel both the countries can learn a few things from each other and benefit from it. For example, in the US we have support groups all over the country to help the community and I strongly feel such a thing is necessary in India.I expect a world where everybody is treated equally. Well, it's happening bit by bit but still there is a long way to go. In some aspects, a few European countries are more accepting than others. In the US, if you go to California you will find transgenders are well accepted in the society but not in places like Texas. So with different places, time and people, things varies. But still things are getting better. Well, but such a thing is not going to happen overnight.

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