Vyjayanti Vasanta Mogli

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Vyjayanti Vasanta Mogli
Born
Occupations
  • Transgender rights activist
  • RTI Activist
  • singer

Vyjayanti Vasanta Mogli is an Indian transgender activist, RTI activist, singer and motivational speaker. [1] She intervened in the “Suresh Kumar Kaushal & Other vs Naz Foundation & Others” case in the Supreme Court in 2014 [2] in which she highlighted the deleterious effects of conversion or reparative therapy on queer people through her affidavit. [3]

Contents

Early life and career

Assigned male at birth, Vyjayanti is from Hyderabad. Vyjayanti had a rough childhood where she was prone to school abuse, [4] conversion therapy, bullying and assault. [5] In an interview, Vyjayanti said "They couldn’t understand (it), nor were they willing to understand, for them it was some unproductive rubbish, some trash that they had to deal with". [6] [7] Talking about how she tackled the journey, Vyjayanti said "Though I am not a voracious reader, there are a few books that have influenced me greatly". [8]

Vyjayanti had been working in the corporate sector for 17 years and been associated with organizations like TISS, Bhumika, Anveshi and Centre For Law And Policy Research, Bangalore. [9]

In 2015, Vyjayanti was stopped from a movie while visiting GVK mall in Hyderabad. Vyjayanti said "We were waiting next to the ticket counter and there were easily more than 50 people at the spot. But the guard, who said he was doing his duty and checking people with suspicious behavior, singled us out. And it was quite obvious why". She did file a complaint in police station also ensured the mall apologizes for discrimination. [10] [11]

Activism

Vyjayanti started her career of activism at Queer Swabhimana Yatra and founder of Telangana Hijra Intersex Transgender Samiti, [12] an LGBT Right group based out of Hyderabad. Since then, she has been fighting a battle for ensuring dignity and rights of transgender persons as well sexual minority. [13] She was in forefront to file charge sheet against rowdy sheeter who was attacking trans persons in the city of Hyderabad. [14] [15] She asked the state government of Telangana to manifest more stronger policy for protecting transgender persons. [16] She felt that the draconian law of Section 377 of Indian Penal Code should be abolished, because she had been abused and violated by police on multiple occasions under this law, she said "Village medics and babas often prescribe rape to cure lesbians of homosexuality. Refusal to marry brings more physical abuse. [17] Stories of family acceptance that you see on TV and other media are more of an urban phenomenon". [18] Vyjayanti also voiced about the disrupt the "Behroopiyas" causing for Hyderabad transgender community and seek police intervention. [19]

In solidarity for the acid attack on trans women, Sonia Vyjayanti said "She cannot go out in the sun because her skin will burn. But she cannot be sitting in the house either. She does not have the luxury to do that, But the poor do not know that they don't have to pay. They just have to tell the hospital to claim it from Arogyashree or the Telangana Acid Attack Victims Compensation Fund. But private hospitals don't want to run around to get their own money from the government. It is too much of a hassle for them. So, they choose to play on the ignorance of the victims and their families," and asked for better law for curtailing such crimes. [20] She also voiced out the atrocities of corrective rapes and highlighted the urgency to give protection for queer individuals. [21] Vyjayanti has voiced out her disagreement about Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019. As a response to an interview, Vyjayanti said "We wanted to bring people from various backgrounds to talk about the draconian Citizenship Amendment Act." [22] Vyjayanti petitioned to the High court about the harassments faced by trans community as a part of the Trans bill 2019, [23] She said We are told we are illegal – that our existence, our livelihood is illegal– that gender identity and expression is illegal. This is what we are challenging with this petition.” [24]

Vyjayanti was also one of three people to put a PIL against Telangana Eunuchs act, 1329 Fasli. [25] Later, on 6 July 2023, Telangana High Court struck down the act as unconstitutional and ultra vires the Constitution of India. [26] She was against the centre's proposed Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill 2017. She also was one of the members to put an appeal for fair probe of CJI Sexual assault case. [27] In 2020, Vyjayanti voiced out the pleat of troubles faced by transgender community in middle of the lockdown. [28] She said "Given the way the economy is going and how tied up healthcare workers are going to be in the near future with COVID-19, there is some fear that the cost of the surgery may increase." [29] [30]

Selected Keynotes and Panel Discussions

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hijra (South Asia)</span> Third gender of South Asian cultures

In the Indian subcontinent, hijra are transgender, intersex, or eunuch people who live in communities that follow a kinship system known as the guru-chela system. They are also known as aravani, aruvani, and jogappa, and in Pakistan, khawaja sira.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ rights in India</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in India face legal and social challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ people. There are no legal restrictions against gay sex within India. Same-sex couples have some limited cohabitation rights, colloquially known as live-in relationships. However, India does not currently provide for common-law marriage, same-sex marriage, civil union, guardianship, unregistered cohabitation or issue partnership certificates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ rights in Nepal</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) rights in Nepal have expanded in the 21st century, though much of Nepal's advancements on LGBT rights have come from the judiciary and not the legislature. Same-sex sexual acts have been legal in Nepal since 2007 after a ruling by the Supreme Court of Nepal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Tamil Nadu</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights in Tamil Nadu are the most progressive among all states of India. Tamil Nadu was the first state in India to introduce a transgender welfare policy, wherein transgender individuals can access free gender affirmation surgery in government hospitals and various other benefits and rights. The state was also the first to ban forced sex-selective surgeries on intersex infants, and also the first state to include an amendment in its state police guidelines that expects officers to abstain from harassing the LGBTQIA+ community and its members. The state also became the first to ban conversion therapy as well as the first to introduce LGBTQIA+ issues in school curricula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ people in prison</span> Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people in prison

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people face difficulties in prison such as increased vulnerability to sexual assault, other kinds of violence, and trouble accessing necessary medical care. While much of the available data on LGBTQ inmates comes from the United States, Amnesty International maintains records of known incidents internationally in which LGBTQ prisoners and those perceived to be lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender have suffered torture, ill-treatment and violence at the hands of fellow inmates as well as prison officials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ culture in India</span>

India has a long and ancient tradition of culture associated with the LGBTQ community, with many aspects that differ markedly from modern liberal western culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laxmi Narayan Tripathi</span> Indian LGBT activist

Laxmi Narayan Tripathi is a transgender/Hijra rights activist, bollywood actress, Bharatanatyam dancer, choreographer and motivational speaker in Mumbai, India. She is also the Acharya Mahamandaleshwar of kinnar akhada. She was born in Malti Bai Hospital on 13th Dec 1978 in Thane. She is the first transgender person to represent Asia Pacific in the UN in 2008. At the assembly, she spoke of the plight of sexual minorities. "People should be more human-like. They should respect us as humans and consider our rights as transgenders," she said. She was a contestant on the popular reality show Bigg Boss in 2011. Her efforts helped the first Transgender team to scale a Himalayan peak in 2020.

Nazariya: A QueerFeminist Resource Group is a non-profit queer feminist resource group based out of Delhi NCR, India. The group was formed in October 2014, and has since established a South Asian presence. The organization undertakes workshops/seminars, helpline- and case-based counselling, and advocacy to affirm the rights of persons identifying as lesbian and bisexual women, and transgender persons assigned female at birth. Nazariya QFRG also works to inform queer discourse in institutions, and build linkages between queer issues, violence and livelihoods. They focus on the intersectionality between queer, women’s and progressive left movements in India.

This is a timeline of notable events in the history of non-heterosexual conforming people of South Asian ancestry, who may identify as LGBTIQGNC, men who have sex with men, or related culturally-specific identities such as Hijra, Aravani, Thirunangaigal, Khwajasara, Kothi, Thirunambigal, Jogappa, Jogatha, or Shiva Shakti. The recorded history traces back at least two millennia.

Hyderabad is a conservative city when it comes to LGBT rights, compared to other Indian Metros. But since it slowly started becoming the second IT-capital after Bangalore, there has been a continuous influx of people of all cultures from across India. In the past few years, there has been some increase in LGBT activism in Hyderabad, including pride marches of 2013 and 2014. Slowly, Top MNCs have been introducing LGBT friendly policies in their Hyderabad offices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of LGBTQ topics</span>

The following outline offers an overview and guide to LGBTQ topics:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christianity and transgender people</span>

Within Christianity, there are a variety of views on the issues of gender identity and transgender people. Christian denominations vary in their official position: some explicitly support gender transition, some oppose it, and others are divided or have not taken an official stance. Within any given denomination, individual members may or may not endorse the official views of their church on the topic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Kerala</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Kerala face legal and social difficulties not experienced by non-LGBT persons. However, Kerala has been at the forefront of LGBT issues in India after Tamil Nadu. It became one of the first states in India to establish a welfare policy for the transgender community and in 2016, proposed implementing free gender affirmation surgery through government hospitals. Same-sex sexual activity has been legal since 2018, following the Supreme Court ruling in Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India. In addition, numerous LGBT-related events have been held across Kerala, including in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram. However, there is also increasing opposition to LGBT rights recently as evidenced by the anti-LGBT campaigns spearheaded by meninist groups and Muslim organisations like Indian Union Muslim League, Samastha and Jamaat-e-Islami.

Accounts of transgender people have been uncertainly identified going back to ancient times in cultures worldwide. The modern terms and meanings of transgender, gender, gender identity, and gender role only emerged in the 1950s and 1960s. As a result, opinions vary on how to categorize historical accounts of gender-variant people and identities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grace Banu</span> Indian Dalit software engineer and transgender activist

Grace Banu is an Indian software engineer who is a Dalit and transgender activist. She was the first transgender person to be admitted to an engineering college in the state of Tamil Nadu. She lives in the Thoothukudi district, Tamil Nadu.

Hyderabad Queer Pride has been celebrated on one of the Sundays in February since 2013. First held on 3 February 2013, Hyderabad became the 12th Indian city to join the queer pride march bandwagon, fourteen years after the first Indian pride march was held in Kolkata. In 2015 it was renamed as Hyderabad Queer Swabhimana Pride, emphasising the self-respect and the acceptance of the community of themselves, as they are. In 2016 it was altered to Hyderabad Queer Swabhimana Yatra and has been retained since.

<i>Suresh Kumar Koushal v. Naz Foundation</i> Indian LGBT Rights Case

Suresh Kumar Koushal &Anr. v. NAZ Foundation &Ors.(2013) is a case in which a 2 judge Supreme Court bench consisting of G. S. Singhvi and S. J. Mukhopadhaya overturned the Delhi High Court case Naz Foundation v. Govt. of NCT of Delhi and reinstated Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. The Supreme Court of India decided to revisit this judgement after several curative petitions were filed against it, in 2017. Thereby in 2018, Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India, a 5 judge bench of the Supreme Court overturned this judgement, decriminalizing homosexuality. Portions of Section 377 relating to sex with minors, non-consensual sexual acts such as rape, and bestiality remain in force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patruni Sastry</span> Dancer, Performance Artist, Drag queen

Patruni Sastry, popularly known as Patruni Chidananda Sastry or Suffocated art Specimen is a Expressionist dancer, performance artist, visual artist, model and drag queen.

<i>Karnataka Sexual Minorities Forum v. State of Karnataka</i> Indian LGBT Rights Case Law

Karnataka Sexual Minorities Forum versus State of Karnataka &Ors. (2017), a case of the Karnataka High Court, which resulted in an amendment of Section 36A of the Karnataka Police Act, which categorized the intersex, non-binary gender and transgender individuals as predisposed to criminal activity.

Vyjayanti Vasanta Mogli &Ors. versus State of Telangana &Ors. (2023), a landmark decision of Telangana High Court, invalidating the Telangana Eunuchs Act of 1329 Fasli which categorized intersex, non-binary gender, and transgender individuals as susceptible to criminal actions, as it was found to be in violation of the constitution.

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