Take a Deep Dive
A brief History of Transgenders in India published by the Indian Institute of Legal studies that talks about their place in Hindu mythology.
Read about how the British began policing other groups which didn't fit the binary gender categories, including Hijras here in this BBC news article: How colonialism impacted Hijras
This Harvard Divinity school case study on Hijras is relevant because some Hijras also identify as transgender: The Third Gender and Hijras
Prakirti Soni tells her story of how she officially came out as a transwoman in August 2020. She received support from her family and friends for dealing with the transition and it made the journey comparatively easier for her. Read here
Ritarpan, a 33-year-old from Kolkata came out as a trans man to their parents last year in the middle of the pandemic, after spending years battling their own deeply ingrained sense of homophobia and transphobia that is rooted in the cultural milieu of their upbringing. Read their story
Delhi-based Aaryan Banerjee was in grade 5 or 6 when he realized that the female gender assigned to him by birth did not quite fit. From there, began a journey of hardships and hope that involved a life-affirming transformation. Read his story
Jamal Siddiqui shares some tips on how to come out and says it can be a lifelong process for some. Read about his journey
Hindustan Times article on how coming out as Transgender to your parents can still be an issue in India: Read more
Trans athletes in India are struggling to find a niche for themselves, whether it’s competing professionally or for fun, self-expression or visibility. Read more
A Pulitzer Centre article on how Transgender identity is linked with homelessness and familial violence: Read here
A Times of India feature on how Transgenders are still struggling for social acceptance: Read here
What it is to be a Transgender person in an Indian prison: A news story in the Wire talks about the sexual violence, harassment and misgendering that trans prisoners face. Read more
Lack of means to record their preferred gender identities means that many Indians who identify as transgender are excluded from various social security benefits: A Business Standard story
Often trans people are denied jobs and opportunities in economic activities. And those who, land up with opportunities, earn way lesser than their co-workers: Outlook article
Despite legal protection, trans children find it difficult to navigate the education system that is riddled with institutionalized othering: Read more in this Outlook article
Trans people recount how they had to hide their true identity to get vaccinated against COVID-19: Read more
Did you know the Centre recently justified the ban on blood donation by trans people, citing scientific evidence? Is this fact-based or yet another form of discrimination? Learn more
Read about the issues faced by trans people in STEM in India: Read more
Read this online article on the gaps in gender-neutral rape laws in India
A Trans Rights Bill passed in 2019 purports to protect transgender rights, but many trans activists say it does the exact opposite: Read about this here
Explore more about what the trans community really wants in the wake of the Trans Rights Bill: Read here
Siddhant More, a trans man from Mumbai answers 10 questions he's commonly asked:
Transgender and non-binary folk have been facing prejudice and ostracisation for years because of who they are. Here are some statements that they are tired of hearing: Watch
The label of "Hijra" pertains to a diverse range of people who consider themselves outside of the cis categorization of male or female, but largely describes those born male who transition to female through a combination of gender affirmation surgery, taking on India's traditional feminine gender roles, and wearing women's clothing. Watch this Refinery29 video
After two decades of feeling like she lived in the wrong body, Trinetra Haldar Gummaraju decided to turn her social, legal and biological identity to match what her mind was telling her. Watch her tell her story in this TED talk
Shreegauri Sawant, a radical catalyst in the battle for transgender rights, raises some daunting questions in this fiery talk, seeking for a shift in the outlook towards the members of the transgender community. Watch this TED talk [Hindi, no subs].
Laxmi Narayan Tripathy, transgender rights activist, Hindi film actress, a Bharatanatyam dancer and an Ex-Bigg Boss contestant talks about Changing Gender Dynamics in the current Social-Economic Structure of India. Watch this TED talk
Rudrani Chettri Chauhan, the founder of India's first LGBT modeling agency, talks about her personal journey and explores why these challenges exist for trans people in India in this candid interview: Watch here
Watch Adam Harry, Trainee Pilot, Transgender activist and Motivational speaker speak about his struggles as a trans man in this two-part conversation with Dr. Veena in #GenderTalks Interview: Adam Harry [Malayalam with Eng subs]
Kalki Subramanian, an activist, author, actor, inspirational speaker, and the founder of Sahodari Foundation which works for the social, economic and political empowerment of transgender persons in India speaks about Breaking Binaries in her TED Talk Watch here.
We have highlighted above some of the gaps and challenges that exist for trans people in society, but we also think the positive strides need to be showcased and applauded. After all, big changes start small.
For the first time, Indian Transgender gurus bless pilgrims at the Kumbh mela: Read here
Karnataka state recently (2019) ruled that education institutes must allow people to officially change their name and gender: Read more
Anuprabha Das Mazumder becomes the first person in India to get the Transgender stamp on her Aadhaar Card: Read here
India steps forward to empower and enable LGBTIQ+: Thriving with Pride
In a heartwarming initiative, a new school for transgender people has opened in Mumbai. Touted to be the first such educational institute in Maharashtra, its aim is to empower the community and make them self-reliant. Read more
Trans people making strides in politics: Hindustan Times news story
In 2020, 15 young people from Manipur became the country's first all-transgender men’s football team, called the Ya_All FC, defying the binary in sport. Watch their journey
India's first Transgender band, The Six Pack Band, accompanied by music director, Shamir Tandon, makes an appearance on the Kapil Sharma Show: (Time stamp 9:20 to 20:45) Watch here
For eighteen days of the year, the small village of Villipurgam in Tamil Nadu is transformed into ‘Koovagam’, the largest gathering of transgender women in Asia. Watch this documentary by Jess Kohl
Here's an example of how raising your voice against injustice can lead to positive changes: The DGCA is looking at reworking its policies for trans pilots. Read here.
The Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai is making huge strides in inclusivity. Along with electing an openly queer person as President of its Student Union, it has also become the first campus in the country to have a gender-neutral hostel. Read More
On March 10, New Delhi hosted the first 'National Transgender Employment mela' with the aim to fast-track transgender employment in India. Watch this news report
The Mitr Clinic in Hyderabad is the first-ever Medical Clinic operated entirely by Transgender staff providing comprehensive services to the Transgender community and serving as a working model on how to reach vulnerable marginalized populations. Watch here
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