The former US President Barack Obama is in India. On 1st December, the Obama Foundation organized a Town Hall, which was hosted by the former US President, in New Delhi. There were numerous interesting questions posed to him. One of which is a very tricky and difficult question asked by Dr. Akkai Padmashali, a transgender rights activist from Bengaluru.
She introduced herself as “Mr. President, I wish a great success for the Obama Foundation. I am a transgender woman. My name is Dr. Akkai Padmashali. I was a sex worker. I was a beggar. I was rejected by all the sections of society. And I am the black beauty. And I love you.”
She talked about the discrimination faced by the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community in the Indian society. Akkai had question and request for Obama that “When the state terror is against minorities – be it transgender, sexual minority, caste, class, creed, religious – when you have been stigmatised, when you’ve been discriminated and patriarchal power and domination is against you – I am a criminal before Section 377 which criminalises transgender, lesbian, gay, bisexual – how do I then raise my voice?”
Obama answered, “I can’t speak to the specifics of legislation in India because I’m not qualified, I’ve not been keeping pace with exactly what’s happening in the parliament around these kinds of issues.”
He also said that “It begins with what you just did, which is to find your voice, and articulate your views, your experiences and tell your story. And that’s true of any group that is marginalized, stigmatized. Finding that voice and being able to tell a story so that the perceptions that somehow you are different are changed… people start recognizing their own experiences in you, they see your humanity. Once that voice is there, hopefully, others join you.”
She also asked Obama “Can I hug you?”
A hug was not out of order and could certainly be arranged after the event, Mr. Obama said.
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