#kalki subramaniam

womenwhokickass:

Kalki Subramaniam: Why she kicks ass

• Kalki is a transgender rights activist, actor, writer and celebrity from Tamilnadu, India. She also holds two Master’s degrees - in Journalism and Mass Communication, and in International Relations.
• She was signed up a film ( ‘Narthaki’) in a lead role. the film is an offbeat film about the life journey of a transsexual woman - her quest for happiness, love and finding her identity. She became the first trans film star in the world to do a lead role in a major feature film.
• She is the Founder of ‘Sahodari Foundation’ an organization working for the social, economic and political empowerment of transgender persons in India.
• She works with in the transgender community on several issues, by creating empowerment programmes like entrepreneurship training which can positively change the poor transgender and intersex people’s livelihood choices, and with the public, advocates against transgender discrimination and hatred and voices for inclusion of transgender and intersex people at all levels. She has lectured in numerous seminars, colleges and universities in India and USA.
• Kalki is also an actress and also makes short documentary films and is also the editor of the Tamil magazine for transgender women called ‘Thirunangai’. She works as an independent Media Specialist, and develops web based projects and is a script writer for documentary and animation films. She is currently working two of her books, a novel and a semi autobiography.
• She was awarded the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ by the Lioness Club of Chennai in appreciation of her transgender rights advocacy work, and was also chosen by ‘Ananda Vikatan’ Tamil magazine as the ‘Top Ten Nambikkaikal’ (Youth hopes) for the year 2009.
• In 2010, she was invited by the government of the United States of America for a 16 days Human Rights activism & Awareness program through IVLP. She is the first transsexual foreign national to be invited by the United States government.

information via fuckyeahsouthasia
picture via thirunangainews (reposting with another picture since the original post has one where Kalki’s skin is lightened through make-up and lighting)

Go to http://www.sahodari.org to find out more about Sahodari Foundation, which Kalki founded. “Sahodari is not funded by inland or foreign agencies. Our work is supported through our own money and small donations from friends and well wishers.” (Non-profits take notes on this grassroots fundraising!) Sahodari is a space for trans and intersex people to come together around the following goals:

•  to promote social, political and economic equity and campaign for civil and legal rights of transgender and intersex people.
• to work for establishing social, economic, and environmental justice for transgender, intersex and gender non-conforming people and to eliminate oppression and exclusion based on such factors as race, ethnicity, gender, class, religion, legal status, sexual orientation, age, and disability.
• to prohibit discrimination based on “gender identity or expression” and ensure that the entire range of transgender, interest and gender non-conforming people are protected.

Go to http://projectkalki.blogspot.in/ to find more about Project Kalki, which empowers poor transgender women to become community journalist.