NEW INTERNATIONALIST
History was made on India’s Lotus News Channel in August, when Padmini Prakash became the first transgender news anchor in the country.
Padmini’s early life was not very different from others in the trans community. She was only 13 when her parents disowned her. But today she is a trendsetter and an icon, who has given not just transgender people but the entire LGBT community a lot to be proud of.
There are more than two million trans people, or ‘kinnars’, in India. Most live on the fringes of society, in abject poverty. For survival, many sing and dance door-to-door, beg on the streets or get into prostitution. But recently, the Supreme Court recognized them as the third gender, opening up a world of opportunities in education and employment.
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