Being a woman is about fighting for dignity: Trans activist Kalki Subramaniam

On Women’s Day, celebrated author, artist, and transgender activist Kalki Subramaniam sat down for a thought-provoking discussion on womanhood, trans identity, and the societal expectations placed on women. Her words were a powerful reminder of the resilience of transgender women and the importance of self-acceptance.

Becoming the woman she was meant to be

What does it mean to be a woman? For some, it’s a given. For others, it’s a battle. For Kalki Subramaniam, it is a revolution—one she fights every single day, not just for herself but for every transgender person who dares to dream of a dignified life.

An artist, activist, poet, and changemaker, Kalki’s journey is not just about gender—it is about survival, resilience, and creating space where there was none. On Women’s Day, she speaks with a rare honesty about the complexity of womanhood, the struggles of being a trans woman in India, and the beauty that emerges when pain is turned into art.

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The constant fight for dignity

“People think womanhood is about how you look, how you speak, how you carry yourself. But for me, being a woman is about fighting for dignity—mine and others’,” Kalki says.

From a young age, she felt the weight of judgement. The stares, the whispered questions, the criticisms about her voice, her body, her identity. For many trans women, this scrutiny never ends. But Kalki refuses to let it define her.

“I don’t stay with the pain. I rise with it. I break it, I challenge it, I transform it.”

Through her poetry, she channels anger, disappointment, and rejection— turning raw emotion into powerful words. Through her art, she embraces the full spectrum of colours, celebrating femininity, queerness, and identity in its most vibrant form.

“Life for us may be black and white inside, full of struggles. But outside, we make it colourful—with our saris, our makeup, our art and our resistance.”

Art as survival, art as revolution

Kalki’s work is deeply personal, yet universal. Her poetry tells the stories of trans people she has met—stories of trauma, rejection, and survival. She doesn’t just observe; she feels their pain as her own.

“I imagine myself in their position. I don’t just watch and write. I live their pain, I breathe it, and that’s how poetry flows.”

Her paintings, on the other hand, reflect hope. Inspired by figures like Frida Kahlo, whose art turned pain into power, and Indian cinema legend Sridevi, whose elegance and resilience she admires, Kalki’s canvas bursts with colour and defiance.

“Frida Kahlo taught me that even with pain, you can create something extraordinary. And that is what I try to do.”

Sahodri: A movement for change

Beyond art, Kalki is a changemaker. Through the Sahodri Foundation, she has helped hundreds of transgender individuals gain access to education, legal rights, and entrepreneurial opportunities. But the fight is far from over.

“We still don’t have reservations in jobs or education. We still struggle for healthcare and basic dignity. There’s so much work left to do.”

Sahodri doesn’t just support trans people—it builds leaders. Activists trained by Kalki now stand tall in their communities, from Manipur to Chennai, Gujarat to Chhattisgarh, fighting for rights and representation.

“I never set out to be a role model. I just wanted to fight. And my fight became my life.”

Women’s Day: A celebration, a conversation, a rebellion

For Kalki and her trans sisters, Women’s Day is not just a date—it is a statement. Every day they live, work, and thrive in a society that still struggles to accept them, they are celebrating womanhood.

“We don’t wait for an invitation to celebrate ourselves. But when we do, we do it fully—dressing up, cooking, dancing and laughing. And we talk. We talk about how women, cis or trans, are still objectified, still silenced, still fighting to be seen as more than just bodies.”

From movies that still reduce trans women to stereotypes to industries that force women into predefined roles, the fight is ongoing. But Kalki believes the tide is turning.

“Some trans women don’t care about passing. They own their bodies, their voices, their identities. That is real fashion, real power.”

The Red Wall Project: Stories that won’t be erased

Among Kalki’s most powerful initiatives is the Red Wall Project, which documents and amplifies the voices of transgender people through art and literature.

“Media has been a huge ally in taking our voices forward. But we need to tell our own stories, in our own way. That’s what Red Wall is about—creating a space where our experiences are seen, heard, remembered.”

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Kalki Subramaniam and her team at Sahodari are set to present ‘Rebelling in Red’ at the New Delhi LGBTQIA+ Centre on March 8 and 9. The event will feature The Red Wall Project, a showcase of Kalki’s powerful artwork, along with the Hindi solo play ‘Keemat’, directed by Kalki and performed by Prema Natarajan.

A life lived in all colours

Kalki Subramaniam is more than a trans activist—she is a force of nature. She transforms pain into poetry, struggles into art, and obstacles into opportunities. In doing so, she redefines womanhood—not as something granted by society, but as something owned, lived, and celebrated.

“To be a woman is not just to exist. It is to create, to fight, to love, to live—boldly, unapologetically, and in full colour.”