Story By: Simon Glover, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report

A Muslim man who angered his family by marrying a transgender woman on Valentines Day says their biggest wish is to be accepted by their relatives.

Junaid Khan, from the city of Indore in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, married Jaya Singh Parmar in a Hindu ceremony on Valentine’s Day.

The couple, who had the support of the bride’s family, also plan to tie the knot with a Muslim wedding ceremony, which is known as a ‘nikah’ .

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Junaid, who works in marketing, met and fell in love with Jaya, a social worker, last year and proposed just two weeks before their wedding.

They married without the blessing of Junaid’s family but the couple hope they will come to accept their relationship.

Junaid said: “I want my family to accept us but even if they don’t, I will stay with her. I love her a lot and I will always keep her happy.”

Jaya said marriage was a big step for transgender people in India as many people still did not accept them.

She said: “His parents were against this marriage but he still chose to marry me. 

“I hope they will accept me soon and one day I will get to serve my in-laws.”

Jaya works as a volunteer in the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer / questioning) community in Indore.

It is unclear if she is a pre-operative, post-operative or non-operative transgender woman. Since 2014, transgender people in India have had the right to register their gender without undergoing gender reassignment surgery.