7 Transgender Changemakers in India You Must Know

Trans individuals and allies across India have been protesting against the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, which was passed in the Parliament on March 25. The contentious amendment, introduced on March 13, seeks to narrow the legal definition of a transgender person and remove the right to self-perceived gender identity.

The Bill restricts recognition only to individuals with certain biological or physiological characteristics, intersex variations, or socio-cultural identities such as kinner, hijra, aravani and jogta. It excludes trans men, trans women, and genderqueer persons, all of whom were recognised under the 2019 Act.

While the Bill takes away their autonomy over personal identity, here are seven Indian transgender leaders in India who continue to challenge the erasure while making an impact across sectors, from social impact to education, and entertainment to administration.

Laxmi Narayan Tripathi 

A prominent activist, Bharatnatyam dancer, and a leading voice in India’s transgender rights movement, Laxmi Narayan Tripathi is a Hijra rights activist, author, and actress. She was born in a conservative family in Mumbai in 1979 and graduated with an Arts degree. She later pursued a post-graduation in Bharatnatyam. 

Laxmi is the first trans person to represent the Asia-Pacific region at the United Nations in 2008. She has consistently advocated for the dignity and equal rights of the ‘third gender’. She also founded the NGO, Astitva Trust, and campaigned to decriminalise homosexuality and secure the rights of the community.

Gauri Sawant 

Gauri Sawant is a social activist known for her work in LGBTQ+ rights and her unremarkable journey into adoptive motherhood, as she says, “Motherhood has no gender.”  Born in Pune, her mother died when she was seven years old. When she was about 14, she left her house as she “did not want to disappoint her father.”

She founded the NGO Sakhi Char Chowghi in 2000 to protect transgender people and people living with HIV/AIDS. They promote safe sex and counselling to the third gender. In 2008, she adopted a girl who lost her mother (a sex worker) due to AIDS. 

Gauri was a major figure in the NALSA case, where the Supreme Court finally recognised transgender individuals as “third gender” in 2014. The same year, she also filed a petition to fight for the adoption rights of transgender. In 2019, she was made a goodwill ambassador of the Election Commission in Maharashtra. 

Joyita Mondal 

Joyita Mondal is the first trans woman to be a member of a judicial panel of a civil court. She achieved this milestone in 2017, when she was appointed as a member of the Lok Adalat in Uttar Dinajpur, West Bengal. 

Joyita was born in Kolkata to traditional Hindu parents. Her childhood memories mostly included intense bullying and social stigma, for which she dropped out after class 10 and escaped from her home. Even after all the hardships that came her way, she continued her education and earned a law degree.

She is also the founder of an NGO named Dinajpur Notun Alo, which provides legal aid, healthcare, and support to the community, sex workers and elder citizens. 

Manabi Bandopadhyay

Manabi Bandyopadhyay is a pioneering Indian academic and activist, best known as the first transgender college principal in India. On June 7, 2015, she created history in Indian transgender rights when she became the principal at Krishnagar Women’s College in Nadia, West Bengal. 

Manabi is also the first transgender person in West Bengal to have earned a PhD degree. She also served as an associate professor at Vivekananda Satobarshiki Mahavidyalaya. She has also been a vocal rights activist who served as the vice-chairperson of the West Bengal Transgender Development Board. 

Saisha Shinde

Saisha Shinde is a prominent Indian fashion designer and a pioneer for the LGBTQIA+ community. She made history by coming out as a trans woman in 2021 and becoming the first trans woman fashion designer in Indian history. She is a NIFT alumna who later earned a diploma from Milan.

Saisha came into the light as a top 6 contestant on Project Runway Season 14. She has been a prominent designer for Bollywood movies like Fashion and Guzaarish. She was applauded for the silver beaded winning gown of Harnaaz Sandhu for Miss Universe 2021. 

Aishwarya Rutuparna Pradhan

Aishwarya is the first transgender civil servant in India. In 2015, the then-Odisha government officer in her thirties formally announced her transgender identity, months after the Supreme Court’s 2014 landmark judgement identifying transgender individuals as ‘third gender’. She is now an officer with the Odisha Financial Services (OFS) as a commercial tax officer.

Growing up in a small village in the Kandhamal district of Odisha, she faced a lot of criticism from her teachers and her own family, especially her armyman father, whenever she acted femininely as a young boy. She was in class six when she began identifying as ‘female’. 

She has a master’s degree in public administration from Utkal University and a PG diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal. She worked with Syndicate Bank before she was admitted to the Odisha administrative offices. 

Manvi Madhu Kashyap

Manvi Madhu Kashyap is the first transgender sub-inspector in India. In 2024, she successfully passed the Subordinate Services Commission exam (BPSSC) with two other transgender male candidates, marking a historic moment of inclusivity for the LGBTQ+ community in India.

Manvi belongs to Panjwara, a village in the Banka district of Bihar. She completed her schooling at S H High School in Panjwara and then pursued higher education at CND College in Bounsi. She then studied at Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University before appearing for the BPSSC exam.