When trans people take centrestage

On April 15, 2008, the then Chief Minister Karunanidhi announced that the government would provide services and help transgender people by forming a Transgender Welfare Board. Later, the Jayalalithaa-led government decided to celebrate the transgender people transformation day on April 15, as the Tamil Nadu Government considered providing social security to the transgender community. 

This year, to celebrate Transgenders’ Day, Trans Rights Now Collective (TRNC) is organising a slew of events in the city. They have collaborated with Kattiyakkari Theatre Group to present a play titled Sandakkaari on April 14 at Spaces, Besant Nagar. Grace Banu, founder and director of TRNC and Srijith Sundaram, director of the play, talk in detail about the celebrations. “Trans Rights Now Collective (TRNC) is a Dalit, Bahujan, Adivasi, Muslim, gender non-conforming centred collective of trans people who are working across India to build trans leaders, support trans education, and build trans job opportunities. We demand dignity, liberty and equity in all aspects of life. Unlike before, a lot of young trans people are coming forward to mainstream professions and we do have a lot of success stories like that of Prithika Yashni, Tharika Bhanu, Neaya S and MP Selvi Santhosham. We, too, deserve a dignified life where our bodies and minds are valued. In order to achieve our vision, we work with legal, educational, and civil partners,” says Grace. Their success stories are not mere examples of individual struggles, but a result of the collective imagination of a bright future. “We want to engage with these moments politically and that’s why we decided to stage a play in Chennai. Our dear friend Srijith, who is also an LGBTQI activist and the founder of Kattiyakkari Theatre Group, suggested the idea of a theatre performance,” she adds. 

Srijith explains the rest, “We had organised a three-day workshop for the members of TRNC. The workshop was helpful in trying to reflect trans peoples’ struggle and success stories. As we narrated our stories to each other, we felt there is an immense need to share our stories, especially when trans-lives are being dismissed as everyday struggles. We improvised the discussions we had at the workshop and developed it into a 45-minute engaging documentary play. In between the play, we will be showing footage of some cases fought by our friends, Prithika Yashni, Neaya S and MP Selvi Santhosham. Though they have struggled a lot legally, all that hard work paid off in the end. They are working in various government departments. I want people to perceive and look at trans lives in a different way.” The play also touches upon the topic of Dalit oppression. 

They have also come up with a hashtag campaign #transeason. “Many are unaware of the history of successful trans people. Through this campaign, that runs for two months, we will narrate the brave stories of members of our community through our social media pages. Starting from April 15, we will be unfolding the stories of our dignified fighters, who demanded the guaranteed rights and respect as humans,” opines Grace. The activist laments that the trans people are fed up with the constant victimisation and hopes to bring in a permanent change through the various campaigns organised across the country.