Indian Trans People Who Are Making This World A Better Place
In India, there is a belief to take blessings from transgender people, often referred to as Hijras, Kinner, Aravani, Aravuni, Jogappa, etc.
You will be astonished to know that, besides giving blessings, some of the trans people in India are actively involved in social activities which actually are blessing our whole nation and ultimately making this world a better place.
Before coming to this point, let’s get clear on who are Trans people or Transgenders?
WHO ARE TRANSGENDERS?
The term Transgender is formed by two words, “trans” and “gender”, where Trans means “Beyond or across something,” and gender indicates the sex of a person. That makes transgenders a gender beyond the two other genders, i.e., male and female.
Transgenders, officially recognized as the third gender in India, are the people who transform their gender. A female who transforms into a male is known as a trans man whereas a male who transforms into a female is Known as a transwoman.
On April 14, 2014, the Supreme court of India, through a landmark judgment, declared transgender a third gender, also providing them with reservations in various fields for their upliftment.
Famous Trans people of India.
Some transgenders of India who have emerged as a shining stars and first in their communities are mentioned below:
GAURI SAWANT-
Like a diamond, which has to go through various heat and pressure to emerge as a shining gem, Gauri emerged as a diamond for her community and society.
Gauri was assigned a Male at birth named Ganesh. Born in Mumbai, Maharashtra has experienced a tough childhood. She had to leave her house at the age of 18 due to the traumatic life she was living in an alien body.
Soon she got well known in her new home; In 2000, she established a trust named Sakhi char chowghi for all those transgenders who are suffering like she did, for their better counseling and promotion of safe sex.
She is why today transgenders are accepted as the third gender by the supreme court and the nation. She was the first trans person to file a petition in India’s National Legal Services Authority.
She was featured in an advertisement by Vicks with her adopted daughter, signifying that motherhood is not something restricted to gender. Still, it is an emotion that can be possessed by any gender, irrespective of the body parts they possess.
The election commission in Maharashtra appointed Gauri as a Goodwill ambassador seeing her active participation in the upliftment of the society.
ARYAN PASHA-
India’s first transman to become a champion in bodybuilding. Aryan was always a fitness lover; through his bodybuilding, he showed the world that bodybuilding is not confined to males in our society. Aryan graduated in law on his academic front, but soon he built his hobby into his all-time career by quitting as a lawyer.
Unlike most persons who transformed, Aryan’s family was pretty supportive and never discouraged him from his identity. After his sex reassignment surgery, he joined LGBTQ Rights Organization and has served immensely to encourage the community to embrace their identity.
He is not only an idol for the trans community but also for the whole society.
NAAZ JOSHI
We generally confine our concept of beauty to Females, but here comes Naaz, breaking the stereotype. Yes, a trans person from New Delhi has broken the barriers and entered the fashion world by excelling on the stage with her presence.
Naaz was the first Indian transgender to flaunt as a cover model. She once again defined beauty standards by winning Miss World Diversity Beauty Pageant three consecutive times.
Like other transgender activists, she has also promoted the idea of motherhood among transgenders by adopting two beautiful children of her own.
VIHAAN PEETHAMBAR
In 2016 an interview came up on social media, which revealed another story of a trans man who fought for his identity. Vihaan, a social activist and media professional, talked about his fight for his identity.
He put up a point that almost half of the society was unaware of. Today almost everyone knows about trans women, but the reality of trans men has remained invisible for many decades.
Through his interview, he gave an important message to the society and families of trans people. He guided many trans men towards self-acceptance and finally embracing what they are.
LAXMI NARAYAN TRIPATHI
We all know her from the famous reality show Bigg Boss in India, anchored by Salman Khan. She is the Acharya mahamandleshwara of the famous Kinner akhada we know; this is the post given to the highest spiritual leader in India.
She is why today, the voices of Indian trans people are listened to on the world stage. In 2008, Laxmi became the first trans person to represent the Asia Pacific in the United Nations.
Laxmi was one of the petitioners in NALSA for the transgender community to be recognized as the third gender by the supreme court. Also, she worked with Kavi against section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, According to which homosexuality was a crime.
JOYITA MONDAL
Among the first ones in the Transgender community, Joyita too, secured her place as a first trans person judge of a Lok Adalat.
She became a role model for the persons in the community so that they too could access higher education and acquire such prestigious posts in India.
Joyita hailed from West Bengal; like most trans persons, she also had a very tough childhood, where she had to face such situations that she had no roof over her head. She used to sleep on bus stands most of the nights.
Today she runs her organization, which serves as a helping hand to most of the people in her district—named “Dinajpur Notun Alo,” which means Dinajpur’s New light.
DR MANABI BANDYOPADHYAY
Born in Gauhati, west Bengal, Manabi was assigned male at birth. She accepted her identity as a transgender and became the first Transgender principal of a university.
She completed her Ph.D. in 2006 and secured the title of doctor.
She works for gender equality and against patriarchal bias in our nation; she wrote various literature books and started magazines to support her idea of a better nation.
We can remember her from the film Purba Paschim Dakshin, where she acted for the first time.
CONCLUSION
After reading the above names, we can conclude that there are almost no spheres left that are not excelled by a transgender yet. Say it is a lawyer, a teacher, an actor, or a social activist.
Despite suffering from such a harsh childhood and hatred from a large part of the world, they try to keep themselves strong and fight for their rights.
Many names are still not covered in this article today which are working for the upliftment of the community. They make this world a better place to live in.
On the one hand, people seek blessings of transgenders on their auspicious occasions, but on the other hand, they talk ill about the community and often use it as a cuss word.
It’s Been more than Five years since 2014 the Supreme Court of India has recognized the third gender. But the question arises, has society yet accepted them?
Author: Uma shukla
Content Writer
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