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In conversation with Ritushree Panigrahi (She/Her), A Transgender Woman, Lawyer, DE&I professional, Stand-up Comedian, LGBTQ+ activist, Corporate Speaker and Columnist. Ritushree is featured in the Makers India list for launching the "Ungender Forms" campaign on Transgender Visibility Day 2021 to promote inclusive gender options (Transgender & Non-Binary) on business platforms. Fueling societal change with hope is Ritushree's mission. She believes personal stories laced with humour are the most effective tools for motivation.
By Varsha Alimchandani
How did you arrive at the name “coming out” for your tour?
“Coming out" is a universal experience for many in the LGBTQ+ community. Interestingly, my solo show "Don't Question Your Authority" predated my publicly coming out. So, this one became a double debut: my first show as a comedian and my first time sharing my truth on stage. It was a special night to explore the complexities of coming out through humour.
Many feel humour/satire works better in changing transphobic mindsets than confrontation.
Would you agree?
Comedy works best when it comes to shifting mindsets. Humour makes information stick. People are more likely to remember a well-placed joke than a monotonous explanation. Most people wouldn't attend a two-hour seminar but package some humour into your message, and suddenly, it's relatable. Humor transcends barriers like gender and sexuality. If you can make people laugh, you've got their attention, and that's the key to getting them to listen, follow, and understand your message.
You wear many hats - activist/stand-up artiste/ lawyer, and so many more. Which is your favourite and why?
Activism comes naturally to LGBTQ+ people, myself included. Fighting for our rights is part and parcel of the journey.
My passion lies in diversity and inclusion work. It's a powerful way to grow myself while helping others in our community find success in the workforce and build visibility.
I love the complete creative control stand-up offers; it is one medium where you are the writer, director, and performer all rolled into one. It's all you on stage, captivating the audience. Overall, I follow my passions. If something stops sparking joy, as litigation and court visits did for me, I move on. Right now, I'm loving everything I do!
The trans rights movement has two schools - one which takes on the traditional attire/pronouns/addressable (Didi/Tai/Ma and lifestyle of ciswomen) and one which does not deem that outwardly look necessary. What do you think?
We are the people who have jumped out of the box. The beauty of our community is our diversity. I love my style, makeup, and dresses – that makes me me! Activism isn't one-size-fits-all. We all have our ways to contribute. Expecting everyone to conform hurts our movement. We have different sexualities, ages, and traditions. There's space for everyone as long as we respect each other. One should embrace this beautiful spectrum with every view, every attire, and every tradition rather than highlighting the differences.
Could you walk us through your journey to becoming the famed Ritushree Panigrahi you are?
I was always Ritushree Panigrahi; I was born this way. Yes, I was hiding. Facing the reality that 97% of trans women have lost their homes and jobs after coming out was terrifying. However, in 2019, I found successful trans women on Twitter. They inspired me to live authentically. It showed how vital positive examples are, especially for those facing challenges.
After coming out to my family and everyone else in 2019, I embarked on a journey of self-discovery. I tried many names, but nothing felt quite right. Then, it dawned on me! Inspired by my sisters' names, Banashree and Tanushree, I thought that if there was a third sister, it must have been Ritushree because we love rhyming babies. This name completed me.
What were some of the most challenging milestones?
The most challenging milestone was coming out to myself. Since childhood, I felt a disconnect. It wasn't until I was nine that I recognised I was transgender. I started experimenting in private, dressing up at home and later in my apartment, but societal pressure made me doubt myself. I'd stop for months, the guilt gnawing at me. Again, after six or seven months, the craving was back. In 2019, I convinced myself to stop altogether.
My family’s pressure to marry intensified. They selected a girl for me, and when it was my turn to meet her, I had a severe panic attack. I felt like I was killing Ritushree. I had to be hospitalised, and my therapy began. The first step was saying no to marriage, not ever. It was a long journey from there, but I dared to bring Ritushree out and show everyone that she was gorgeous, happy, and capable of everything.
Did you feel disheartened? How did you re-channelise courage to march on? What message would you give out to young trans people who are struggling with their identity?
Coming out is a personal journey, and believing in yourself is vital. I learned that having a financial safety net can ease the transition. Many companies are becoming more inclusive, so research LGBTQ+-friendly workplaces.
Society can be brutal, but you're not alone. There will be stares and comments, but there will also be acceptance and support.
Look to successful trans people thriving in their fields. The world is full of allies; you need courage to find them.
Whether you've come out or not, your identity is valid. Embrace yourself and know you are beautiful. This message goes out to every underrepresented and marginalised group, including women– you are strong, worthy, and deserve to be seen. Don’t doubt yourself.
Several corporations and organisations are coming forward to employ transpersons. While they claim finding enough people for those slots is challenging, the trans community claims a lack of employment opportunities. What is your take?
Many companies like the one I joined recently, Welspun Enterprise Ltd., are leading the charge for inclusion! They're hiring a wider range of talented people, including LGBTQ+ folks and those from underrepresented groups. This is a big deal because many talented trans people stay hidden for fear of discrimination. Inclusive workplaces make them feel safe to come out and contribute.
Education should not be a barrier to employment. Tata has done it brilliantly. Companies can invest in training programs to help people succeed, especially those from marginalised communities like the trans community. Many companies are already offering internships and workshops to build skills. Instead of just looking for people with degrees, if you have the will, then focus on what people can learn and achieve. Qualification is a discriminatory word used against oppressed people.
The rainbow movement is often accused of elitism, where a few metropolitans, upper caste, upper-class, English-speaking voices seem to grab the limelight, which is invisible to others.
Does this happen with the trans community, too?
If you segregate the trans community from other core communities, I would say not much because very few trans people work for blue-collar or white-collar jobs. To truly uplift the community, we must focus on the most marginalised. Historically, the fight for LGBTQ+ rights, like the 377 judgment, has been driven by activists from marginalised backgrounds within the community, including trans people.
The Indian trans community is incredibly diverse. There are social groups like Hijras, Kinnars, Kothis, Aravanis, Jogappas, Shiv Shakti, etc., each with rich traditions, regional names, and diverse social and economic mobility.
The fight for LGBTQ+ rights is multifaceted, and not everyone plays the same role. While there are those fighting legal battles, others contribute to the movement through community building and visibility, like attending LGBTQ+ events or parties.
The elite people are not the whole queer community; they would have partied even if they were cisgender. While attending a party might not be considered direct activism, it creates a safe space for LGBTQ+ people to connect and celebrate their identities. This can be especially important since, historically, many LGBTQ+ people were excluded from social spaces.
How does one ensure exclusionist intersectionality of caste/class/region/religion/ language/food habits also finds mention within trans rights?
India's rich diversity also comes with its challenges. Issues like casteism exist within the LGBTQ+ community as well as among cisgender people.
Intersectionality is key to a successful LGBTQ+ movement. This means recognising how different aspects of our identities, like caste, religion, language, food habits or economic background, can intersect and create unique experiences of oppression. The oppressed person should not be its perpetrator. If you are discriminating against someone, you are validating the discrimination that happened to you.
There is no denying that power corrupts absolute power curves. Especially one who is from an oppressed community or even a woman should always support every other oppressed person. That's the only way going forward; otherwise, everything will return to the same place and go in circles. Oppression will continue. Solidarity is key.
Bollywood has begun - even obligatorily- increasingly doffing its hat at trans rights. While several continue to demonise the ones that humanise, they come with their own set of problems.
Could you cite your examples and say if you agree?
Bollywood is evolving. We've seen impactful films like “I Am”, "Fire", “Bombay”, "My Brother Nikhil," and "Aligarh." While these were important, they only scratched the surface.
Now, there's a growing trend of LGBTQ+ representation, driven in part by the lucrative potential of this audience. This isn't just tokenism, but recognising that the trans-community is one of the most significant consumer communities. If you make a movie touching the subject, at least queer people will go and watch it.
Movies like "Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui" and "Taali" spark conversations within society. Similarly, films like "Maja Ma" and "Badhai Do" hint at a changing landscape.
This shift reflects a new generation entering the workforce – a generation more open and accepting of LGBTQ+ identities. Hopefully, Bollywood will move beyond representation and delve deeper into authentic stories. For now, they have just touched the tip of the iceberg. I would love to see a representation like Made in Heaven, where trans people play trans-person characters. It's a promising start.
The International Women’s Day 2024 campaign theme is Inspire Inclusion. Would you agree that inspiring others to understand and value inclusion helps forge a better world?
International Women's Day celebration is primarily heterosexual. For it to be truly meaningful, it should be inclusive of all women, including LGBTIQA+ women.
Recently, I joined Welspun Enterprise Ltd, which embraced inclusivity on Women's Day by sending me a gift hamper. Some might see this as tokenism, but even these gestures send a positive message and demonstrate a company's commitment to diversity.
Women are a diverse group with a wide range of experiences. Otherwise, your woman's day will be only a seasonal heterosexual-led Women's Day celebration rather than progressive activism.
Even when talking about issues of women, only matters of this General heterosexual woman are given space. Supreme Court is not stopping you from celebrating LGBTIQA+ women, so why are you not doing it?
How can we then inspire both trans and cis women themselves to assert that society is invested in them and make them feel included to create a sense of belonging, relevance, and empowerment?
History shows us this: rights aren't handed out; they're snatched. No oppressed community has ever achieved equality through charity alone. It takes action. This means two things: demanding our rights and reclaiming the spaces where we've been excluded.
Imagine a comedy show lineup – all women except for me. I would ask for more women comics. It's about seeing ourselves reflected in the world. Maybe I don’t like the faces of the women coming, but if they are women, that is enough for me.
This goes beyond comedy shows. It's about LGBTQ+ rights, women's rights, and all marginalised communities. Otherwise, it will not happen. If I want only to take privileges in the space, me taking everything, rights activism will not go any further.
Every woman at a company must ask for more female representation. Society is terrible; we have known that they restrict us from climbing for ages. I admit everything. My journey to do comedy was just an example. We can create opportunities for ourselves and future generations.
Varsha Alimchandani is an Indie Author and Programme Officer-Gender with Population First.
