Stalin missed off entire India we heard
I really love the stage right from
Howrah bridge to Lonnie to coconut tree
to Kathakali everything is there today I
am I’m known as many many names are
there for me I belong to the oldest
ethnic transgender community which is
known as the hitch does or it’s the
kiner’s way back in 1999 when we started
working in the field of HIV and AIDS I
never thought we would have a Supreme
Court verdict which would give me the
authority from the boxes of male and
female that I could choose my gender as
I want yeah but that was the thought
process and which it started life went
on I still remember my school and
college days where it was really very
difficult for me as a transgender person
even to go and use the restroom
I still remember because my seniors so
calm my seniors it was so difficult that
I was scared that I could get grouped or
I could get sexually assaulted and that
fear never went out of my body till I
passed out from my college today ever
I’m on the expert committee of UGC and
then now there is strict rule I believe
you your college also has made a female
and third gender does it yes
and even if there is one transgender in
your college then you should have a
separate restroom I was on I’m on that
committee that which we decided that all
the equities for any male and female
whatever you want to consider your
gender as there is no binary or I’m not
boxing you out because I believe my own
sexualities like the Ganges pure it can
take many turns in life but I believe
I’m a hitter I’m a kinnor
I’m a transgendered woman whatever in
English word because there is no English
word for the our community because I as
I said I am the oldest ethnic
transgender community which has its own
culture which has its own existence
India the our culture was so beautiful
our culture accepted everybody we had
space right from courtesans to women in
sex work to everybody and the clot of
respect I you know when I went to the
West and people asked me there is a very
big question you know travel the world
and they asked me Laxmi when did you
realize you were different
I said hallelujah was never different
sorry I was as normal as you you know
who I better half the new wall so they
said like but when did you come out I
said I came out only once from my
mother’s womb and next time I didn’t
have to come out from anyway and that
then people asked me when did you
realize I said excuse me I didn’t
realize anything I was as normal as what
I was but it was the world who thought I
was different so the problem is with the
world not with me you know so because
they wanted to box me I I was very
feminine as a child you know I still you
know many heroes or many my sisters or
friends they asked me
Lakshmi tadoule oh your fingers are so
slim like a woman where did you do it or
I just put it into the sugar cane
machine you know to remove the juice you
know that how but this is the way I was
and I was born I was as normal as any
man and woman I could think better than
any my thoughts is as equal to any one
of you you know if given a chance I got
a chance so I even represented entire
asia-pacific at the United Nation
journalist in the president’s office as
the civil society task force I was the
first trans woman in the world to be
there light
it’s all about opportunities I always
say learnt under thy feet was divine my
teachers loved me I was notorious I was
not so you know sathi savithri quote and
go do you know not this complete pure
angel types now you know I don’t good
girls go to heaven and bad girls go
yes who wants to be good excuse me I
have the right of as equal as any man
and woman and in front of the
Constitution my my respect and dignity
is as equal to the precedence and then I
decided that my second book was on the
footpath to be published and penguin
Random House was my publisher and the
books name the red lipstick men in my
life and suddenly people said holy
mother please don’t come out with this
book you know this means I said would
they ask me what is in the book I said
right from the man who brought me on
planet Earth to the man who would have
sexually abused me because of my family
or whom I would have abused because
feminity can be dangerous you know you
can really yeah and biological women
should learn the art of loving
themselves you know which is not taught
by our culture and that’s why we become
you know victims of whatever is
happening we have to love ourselves so
much that we can give back to the
society you know when it is required so
I said I could be also know in Hindi
they say no three actually three even
the creator could not understand a woman
so what the biological men which are not
not
[Applause]
so the whole thing happened yeah I
always believed you know the men are
also not complete men and we’re fools
that we call the patriarchal society
actually you know the patriarchy only
with their body and with their thought
process of men you know I always say
boys you are not complete boys there is
X Y in you you know if you see
mathematics also in science women is
complete xxx where and men are XY but
one thing Lakshmi has brought up her
children are sons in such a way that
they will always respect women hood
which I believe every parent every
parent in India have to learn to teach
their sons how to respect women and
their dignity more than anything else so
then they said no you shouldn’t come I
said excuse me today Lakshmi is acharya
mahamandaleshwar but what is my past i
cannot just turn my back that was also
Lakshmi this is also Lakshmi tomorrow
also I will be the same luxury every
cosmic energy and everything that we are
part of that the soul is also part of
the eternal entity what we are the
saddest thing is that how we create an
India our future country that will have
respect for gender will have respect to
feminity okay but but that is true I
tried a lot you know to talk to the
present past HRD minister to have some
changes but nothing we have laws and
even in this educated lot you know I
would ask how many of you would have
ever seen what is your own right as an
individual of this country what is your
own constitutional rights how many of
you know hardly we know what do you know
that the judiciary has given you such
such such rights to you the educated
Lord do not know what is the domestic
what is the woman’s policy of
maharashtra sees whether it is a student
a woman who is a student a widow a
single mother a worker or servant home
what you call housekeeping worker or
whether it’s a inmate a wife of a jail
inmate whether it’s a trans woman
whether it’s a sex worker what we don’t
these two is a different whole category
where they are really marginalized but
the most educated lot do know their own
right and that is why we face stigma we
face discrimination we face torture we
face molestation we face rates it’s only
because of feminity and we allow them
but trial society to do so it’s
necessary that we come as collective you
know in our country it’s not only our
country internationally when you go and
see it’s the women’s rights movement is
the most oldest and I’m you know Trunks
moment it was the most youngest moment
the civil right movement in my country
and we are really successful that we
have two bills in the parliament a
virgin girl oath is the minister of
social justice and empowerment very
supportive we have one bill from the
government and one bill a private
member’s bill and the women’s movement
are still fighting because the women
movement is like there are good girls
and bad girls YC mm-hmm
whoa apne group Munir that one is that
way oh I believe a Hello we all at I I’m
I’m part of all the movements you know I
don’t care I can be a very good woman
and I can be a very bad woman so it
serves my purpose I don’t care what you
think but the problem is that at a
larger mass how our voices should be
heard I believe you know in my life when
we started into the whole movement you
know
Who am I to if I want to accept you I
won’t think what what is a past good to
me I am good to you now my friend you
can do anything ha but I cannot talk
terrorism rapist
who kill the girl child in the womb who
really tortured women hood these are the
people I am really away from but others
all are accepted and loved but the
problem is that we ourselves don’t love
ourselves how many of us women or men
have the time to sit in love your own
self we don’t because we are never
taught especially women in India are
never taught men really love themselves
they get married they have affairs than
they
oh god what not they do but still you
know chill nowadays even we are
competing on the same level the
womanhood is also not leaving us leaving
the patriarchal you know aside so I
always you know they say Lakshmi you’re
so cool and calm I said one thing I do
every morning when I get up take bath
and once I start my makeup like you’re
the hottest Lakshmi one’s the red
lipstick is on my lip is a perfect diva
you know get lost
you have to love yourself because
because till you don’t love yourself how
you will have the even the slightest
thought of giving love unconditionally
it is all about giving it’s all about
I’m very comfortable in my skin you can
say anything to me I don’t even care if
too much if you say I say very low
society I didn’t even want to look at it
you don’t yeah you don’t even fall in
the list where even I should look at you
hello hallelujah praise the Lord you
don’t belong to my category so I always
I’m so is the same thing what I told you
know it’s good to be bad at times you
know because the crying baby gets the
largest amount of milk and attention and
a job baby see the said AHA this style
is my good boys and the boys always kept
good too you know I was I need my rights
and I got my rights I always said my I’m
my dignity as equal to the precedence
dignity of course I got the supreme
could give me my dignity but what is the
most important thing in my life which I
have realized at this I became what I am
78 born what is my age no need to say
okay so I the one thing I learned
knowledge is your power and to acquire
knowledge and the right knowledge the
right knowledge because people really
play with you and with me with all of us
till me I for me I was just accidentally
born as a Brahmin but I was I was never
a Brahmin trial you know and I have seen
although all the strata of the society
means right from the royalty to sex
workers to drug users to whatever you
would say what is abnormal was very
normal for me because even I was a freak
of the nature and I am still for me
nothing could you know intrigued me
because I was only the person intriguing
others you know I was only the shock of
the mind you know at times now – I am
very well dressed at times I am now I
think about my college days I was just
telling your faculty who is sitting here
in the blue sari with the golden border
you know that I still remember my
college days and I was really notorious
that time I used to wear whatnot do you
know oh my god now I think I really
wonder I pity those eyes who had shocked
seeing me you know yeah so life but I
got I acquired knowledge now in the
religious world also you know I see you
can debate with me only debate with me
and I will come alone to debate with you
I have the knowledge I know that I can
answer every each and every question not
on the basis of your morality but on the
basis of sacred texts on the basis of my
constitution on the basis of the
judiciary of my country I have the
knowledge to fight back because
knowledge and it is necessary that our
generation and the coming generation
which will make India and even you all
will make the new India I have to have
that one thought that if you want to
accept anybody you shouldn’t use your
brain use your heart because when your
heart speak that is the true person of
you which will emerge and which will
have that
ability like an ocean to accept
everything but don’t throw it out our
ocean normally throws everything out
also at times when it is required but it
is necessary that we don’t keep bias
whether it is gender whether it is
feminity whether it is anything and the
biggest thing is that you have to love
yourself you have to love your own soul
in your own body and be comfortable what
if I’m dark and dark you know dark and
dusty is more sexier even being fair
okay fine fair okay your heart you know
friends you can be Cindy Crawford or you
can be as Leonardo you know but one
thing it cannot be about on the basis of
color you can discriminate you cannot
discriminate on the basis of cost you
cannot discriminate about anything the
biggest thing is that we have to because
he in my life I have seen my own
community I was lucky enough to have
good teachers to have parents who
supported me the biggest grief in this
world is the grief of being felt that
nobody loves you so you shouldn’t make
the person that that kind of a feeling
inculcated in any of the person whether
it is a class or whether it is your
office that nobody loves that person in
material to anything and the biggest
strength I believe me and my community
and I everyone should have the strength
not to surrender because till you have
that ability that you won’t surrender
then only you will achieve success then
only you will achieve the process that
you have the right mindset to unleash
your thoughts without any barrier
without any fear of any political
horizons or any poll any cultural you
know thought process which is built on
morality or any religion which someone
says according to their perception
because I believe nor religion nor God
nor anyone any any energy what you
believe in this world would anyone
discriminate any soul from their side
because we all are children to that
Almighty
and I believe to make a new India it’s
necessary to stand up and to see what is
wrong is wrong and what is right is
right and we have to really strong stand
strong in support that are coming
generation sons of our coming generation
should be taught that we have to respect
feminity of any kind there is a lot of
things which can be spoken but I believe
my thought process is that that we have
to stand together in making my country a
new India without morality or without on
the boundary thoughts of any politician
any religious leader it should be
everything from your heart that we
accept and we have inclusion for every
individual in this country whether it is
guest in my country whether it is an
Indian whether it is X Y Z whatever it
is thank you so much [Applause]