Kalki Subramaniam

Kalki Subramaniam is a transgender rights activist, artist, actor, writer and entrepreneur from Tamil Nadu. Kalki was born in Pollachi, a town in Tamil Nadu. Born into a middle-class family, Kalki was an academically bright student and topped her class. Kalki holds two Masters degrees: Masters in and Masters in International Relations. During her postgraduate studies, she started publishing a monthly magazine in Tamil for transgender women called Sahodari. In 2008, Kalki founded the Sahodari Foundation, an organization that advocates for transgender people in India. In 2014, she was chosen by Facebook as one of the 12 inspiring women of the world who used Facebook for community development. Subramaniam also inaugurated Sahaj International school in 2017, which is dedicated to serving transgender students ages 25 through 50 who have not been supported in mainstream schools. It is the first school specifically designated for transgender students in India and is located in Kochi, Kerala. In 2011, Kalki starred in the Tamil film, Narthagi, which was focused around the lives of transgender people.  She is the first transgender woman in India to do a lead role in a motion picture.