Transgenders speak out at second protest against I

Members of the transgender community questioned the idea of insulting sexual and other vulnerable minorities under the pretext of freedom of speech at a protest held at Valluvar Kottam on Friday.

They also hit out against the ‘economically and socially privileged’ members of the community urging them to rescind their protest against filmmaker Shankar, who stands accused of belittling the transgender community in his latest film I .

“What does Shankar know about our lived experience? What does he know about the changes that happen in our bodies or the psychology of a transgender, for him to represent us the way he did? Let him wear a saree and walk around on the streets for a day to truly understand our predicament,” said Barathi Kannama, a transgender activist from Madurai, to loud cheers from other members of the community.

She also claimed a defamation case had been filed against Shankar and that she intended to fight it to the last.

The protest, which lasted for around two hours, provided a platform for the transgender community to talk about the issues it faces in a hetero-normative society.

Recently, transgender Ojas Rajani, who played a role in the film, had appealed to the protestors to give up their agitation. “Those who have gathered here are poor and socially excluded. We are struggling to eke out a living in this society unlike the privileged who have not fought and survived poverty and extreme hunger. We cannot keep quiet when such films hurt us,” said a protestor.

A number of progressive and Left organisations lent their support to the protest. It was also supported by other organisations that work to raise consciousness about LGBT issues in the city.

Members of the community hit out against the ‘economically and socially privileged’ among them urging rescind of protest