Transgender is rather an unknown word to 70% of Indian population as people call them with very offensive names. Though transgender people have great references in Indian Mythologies, the present Indian society is not very accepting towards Transgender people. They are not given job opportunities and are completely excluded from the mainstream. With lack of job opportunities and un-accepting society, most of the transgender people in India make their living by asking for donations in streets.
Nevertheless, few people in the community have risen irrespective of all the bigotry and challenges that the social structure of India imposed against their growth, and have made a name for themselves across various domains.
Here is the list of 10 Transgender people who are breaking the norms and inspiring everyone with their sheer will.
Kalki Subramaniam
Profession : Writer, Activist & Actor
Place of Birth : Pollachi, Tamil Nadu
Kalki is a multi-hyphenated writer, Transgender activist, Media personality, Artist and Actor. The Tamil Nadu native has been at the forefront fighting for transgender rights in India and took her message to global platforms. Kalki was invited to speak at prestigious universities such as Harvard Business School and Harvard Kennedy School. She is an highly educated induvidual having double masters in Mass Communication and International Relations. Kalki’s brainchild, Sahodari Foundation, helps other transgender people like herself to make big in the society.
Laxmi Narayan Tripathi
Profession : Dancer, Actor and Activist
Place of Birth : Thane, Maharashtra
Laxmi Narayan Tripathi is one of the most famous and influential transgender people in India. She is a professional Bharatnatyam dancer and an activist currently based in Mumbai city. Unlike many others, Tripathi’s parents accepted her when she came out as a transgender woman and supported her in every step of her life. She is the first transgender person who represented Asia Pacific in the United Nations in 2008. She worked with several NGOs before starting her own NGO, Astitva in 2007 which caters to raising a voice for Transgender people. Laxmi has also featured in Bigg Boss Hindi shows as a contestant and also played a crucial part in the promotions of Bollywood movie ‘Laxmmi’ in which Akshay Kumar plays a Transgender role.
Gauri Sawant
Profession : Activist
Born : Pune, Maharashtra
Gauri Sawant has struggled out herself from her family who didn’t willfully accept her. She fled her home at the age of 18 as she did not want to be a disappointment to her own father. Later she stepped into activism and human service after years of struggle for survival. she is currently the director of Sakshi Char Chowghi trust which provides counseling and assistance to transgender people and those with HIV/AIDS. She was one of the petitioners in the case that recognised transgender as the third gender in India. Currently she is also serving as a Goodwill Ambassador of Election Commission in Maharashtra. Gauri adopted a girl whose mother was a sex worker and died when she was very young.
Sathyasri Sharmila
Profession : Lawyer
Place of Birth : Tamil Nadu
Sharmila is the first transgender lawyer of Tamil Nadu as she registered herself as a lawyer in 2018. Though Sharmila finished her law degree in 2007, she waited for over a decade before she gained the confidence to register herself as a lawyer. Her present journey as a lawyer is solely to help her community to rise against the atrocities they have been facing for years now. She is also working as a Transgender activist from many years now.
Dr. Manabi Bandopadhyay
Profession : College Principal
Place of Birth : Naihati, Kolkata
Manabi is India’s first transgender college principal who was very open about her sexual identity. Born as the only son among two sisters, Manabi was oppressed by her own father and fought a long battle against the society and her conservative father to complete her education. She is also West Bengal’s first transgender to complete a Ph.D. and become a lecturer. She started Oh-Manab in 1995, a magazine specifically for the Transgender community. Manabi belives that Transgender community can break the society norms only with proper education. She never let her education be deterred by the ridicule she faced as she knew knowledge was the weapon to fight against the stereotypes against her sexual identity.
Padmini Prakash
Profession : TV Anchor
Place of Birth : Tamil Nadu
Padmini Prakash is the first Trans woman news anchor of India. She was hired by Lotus News, a local Tamil channel in position of a News Reader. Padmini was banished by her own family at the age of 13. However, she was taken in by a family who were friends with her parents. She later married a guy from the very family who adopted her. The couple have an adopted son and are happy together. Padmini has acted in various Tamil soap operas and has won a few beauty pageants as well. Other than this, she is a classical Bharatanatyam dancer.
Prathika Yashini
Profession : Sub-inspector, Police
Place of Birth : Tamil Nadu
Prathika Yashini is the first transgender police officer in India. She is currently serving as a sub-inspector in Tamil Nadu. She said that the fight for becoming a police officer was not easy as her application was rejected because of her gender identity. However, K Prithika Yashini challenged the rejection by the academy and fought a legal battle in the Madras High Court. She won the case and subsequently cleared the required tests and was given the job she was entitled to. Prithika had to run away from her house as she was tired of her parents who were forcing her to seek medical, astrological and religious help to “set things right”.
Joyita Mondal
Profession : Judge
Place of Birth : West Bengal
In 2017, Mondal became the India’s first transgender judge in a Lok Adalat. The High school drop out ran away from her orthodox Hindu family who were very oppressive towards her. She ran away to Siliguri from Kolkata, her hometown. She had to sleep at bus stands and beg on the roads for food in early days. After living on the streets for many days, she landed in Islampur where she worked for the upliftment of the transgender community. She now runs her own organisation, ‘Dinajpur Notun Alo’, which works for the welfare of people from her community.
Nitasha Biswas
Profession : Model
Place of Birth : West Bengal
Nitisha Biswas is the winner of the country’s first-ever trans beauty pageant. Though, Biswas was abandoned by her family, she never let her situations hamper her dreams. She said that she had no one by her side while she went through the Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), which is mentally as well as physically straining to any person. She then went on to work as a stylist and makeup artist in the movie industry. She then went on contesting in varuous beauty pageants and won the pageant in 2017. She represented India in Miss International Queen and Miss Trans Australia 2019.
Shabnam Bano
Place of Birth : Madhya Pradesh
Profession : Politics
Shabnam Bano is popularly known as Shabnam Mausi. She is the first transgender Indian politicuan to be elected to the public office. Despite of attending school for a brief period of 2 years, Shabnam knows can speak 12 languages, thanks to her frequent travels around the country. She has inspired the Transgender community to challenge the roles they have been performing for years by walking into politics. She became the first Transgender MLA (Madhya Pradesh Assembly) of India
Anjali Ameer
Profession : Actress
Place of Birth : Thamarassery, Kerala
Anjali Ameer created history by playing a lead role in a mainstream movie of Indian cinema. Anjali was recommended by none other than Mammootty, the Malayalam superstar, during the casting of the female lead in the film. The peranbu actress is also a part of Bigg Boss Malayalam where she entered the house a wildcard contestant. Anjali belongs to an orthodox and conservative Muslim family and had to run away from home before pursuing acting career.
