Toward a trans politic of love and claiming the thirunangai identity

A. Revathi is a writer, performer, activist and a thirunangai-hijra-trans woman from southern India. Revathi’s books are now part of academic curricula in India and elsewhere and her work has been vital in the context of trans rights and LGBTQ activism in India. Mikail Khan speaks to Revathi about her early life history, how sex work and begging are still prevalent among thirunangai, hijra and transfemme communities in India and South Asia, inclusion of trans men in transgender discourses, and why its important to link trans rights conversations alongside other interconnected struggles. Many thanks to Annirudh for kindly doing live Tamil and English interpretation on this episode!