event
Carnegie India

Building an Inclusive India: Trans Rights and Representation

Tue. March 9th, 2021
Zoom Webinar

The transgender community in India continues to experience social, legal, political, and economic marginalization today. At its source, the stigma surrounding the trans community stems from society’s perception of gender non-conformity as 'abnormal'— leaving its members vulnerable to violence, poverty, and being overlooked from mainstream policy formulation. As activists and civil society in India work to strengthen trans rights, how can we move towards a bias-free understanding of gender to create inclusive workplaces and healthcare policies? How do our misperceptions impact trans representation, and what can we do to effectively mitigate transphobia?

For the second Anahita Speaker Series session of 2021, we hosted Abhina Aher, technical expert at I-TECH India, to draw on her inspiring work as a transgender activist to gain insights and suggestions on transgender inclusion in India.

Domestic PoliticsSouth AsiaIndia
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
event speakers

Abhina Aher

Abhina Aher is a technical expert with I-TECH India. She is an Indian transgender activist who has been working on HIV and Human Rights issues for the past 24 years. She has worked with organizations such as The Humsafar Trust, Family Health International, Johns Hopkins University Centre for Communication Programme, and India HIV/AIDS Alliance. She has worked with various communities, including men who have sex with men, transgender people, women engaged in sex work, intravenous drug users, and people living with HIV. She is also an artist and the founder of Dancing Queens - a dancing group of transgender people. Abhina is an expert at NGO management and social entrepreneurship.

Shibani Mehta

Senior Research Analyst, Security Studies Program

Shibani Mehta is a senior research analyst with the Security Studies Program at Carnegie India. Her research focuses on the India-China boundary dispute with the purpose of analyzing India’s foreign and security policy decision-making.