A. Revathi is a writer, performer, activist and a thirunangai-hijra-trans woman from southern India. Revathi’s books are now part of academic curricula in India and elsewhere and her work has been vital in the context of trans rights and LGBTQ activism in India. Mikail Khan speaks to Revathi about her early life history, how sex work and begging are still prevalent among thirunangai, hijra and transfemme communities in India and South Asia, inclusion of trans men in transgender discourses, and why its important to link trans rights conversations alongside other interconnected struggles. Many thanks to Annirudh for kindly doing live Tamil and English interpretation on this episode!

Rojan Pariyar (he/him) is a Dalit transgender man from Khotang district Nepal. He currently serves as a program associate at Samari Utthan Sewa and is an active member of Dalit Queer Nepal. 2023 witnessed Nepal's first Dalit Queer Pride which was led by Rojan and his comrades amidst a largely Savarna LGBTQ+ pride parade in Nepal. Mikail Khan speaks to Rojan about how Brahminical patriarchy follows the life cycle of Dalit trans and queer individuals, the nuances of transgender men’s voices, interrupting Brahminical benevolence in social justice movements, and the clarion calls for accountability, redistribution of resources, and rights for an emerging generation of Dalit queers in Nepal.

Many thanks to raji manjari for their interpretation work on this episode!

Anika Nawar Ullah is a Bangladeshi-American and Adivasi/Indigenous Marma transdisciplinary artist and ecological activist whose artistic work traces relationships between transnational/intergenerational bodies, identities, memories, trauma, displacement, joy, technology, and living ecologies. Mikail Khan speaks to Anika about Adivasi resistance and queer futures in Bangladesh and the diaspora, especially on how it relates to animism, the repetition of cycles of war and anti-indigeneity, and how the work of caretaking for the earth needs to be done through caring for our own bodies.

Nabi Ali is a visual development artist and illustrator based in Los Angeles, California. His personal work often deals with religious themes, particularly centered around figures from Shi'a Islam, Dravidian folk religion, local saints and deities, as well as from anti-caste liberation theology and philosophy. Mikail Khan speaks to Nabi on how he is challenging casteist ideologies within the larger Savarna-infused art world and working alongside/platforming Dalit, Bahujan and caste oppressed Muslim people’s works in the process.

Ho Chi Minh Islam is a nurse by profession and a prominent young trans woman activist from Bangladesh who is dedicated to creating platforms for LGBTQ+ individuals, especially trans persons in Bangladesh, to accelerate their struggle for basic human rights. Mikail Khan speaks to Ho Chi Minh about the current transgender movement in Bangladesh and the growing right-wing forces that are derailing trans people's self-determination and livelihoods.

Manu Kaur (they, them) is an anti-caste community organizer, educator, and advocate based in California in the United States. In 2024, Manu curated the historic show, Dalit Dreamlands, one of California’s first queer art exhibitions centering the experiences of Dalit, Adivasi, Bahujan, Afro-Indian, Indo-Fijiian, Indo-Caribbean, and Muslim communities of South Asia. Mikail Khan speaks to Manu about this ambitious exhibit and their involvement in anti-caste organizing spaces in the U.S.

Nandini Sabban is a multifaceted individual living in Maharashtra, India, who is known for her impactful work both in the film industry and as an advocate for the transgender community. Mikail Khan speaks to Nandini about how hijras and kinnars have been villainized and largely disposed of by our cishet and contemporary transgender communities in India. The episode also talks about genuine inclusion-based efforts that society can extend to hijra communities as well as the impossible beauty standards that hijras and trans women have to uphold within the Bollywood and independent film industries.

TRANS/NATIONAL is raising funds for Nandini's gender-affirming procedures. Please consider making a Venmo donation to @transnationalcollab to support this endeavor. All receipts of wiring the funds to Nandini will be transparently shared for those who request it.

Born into a Dalit family from Karnataka, Chandini Gagana is a prolific writer, poet, orator and trans rights activist. She is the founder of Payana, an organization dedicated to working for the rights and safety of sexual minorities. Mikail Khan speaks to Chandini about her life journey and her relentless struggle for trans rights and the need to address gender, caste, and class within the broader transgender and social justice movements.

Ani Dutta (they, she) is a nobinary transfemme kothi person who is an Associate Professor of Gender, Women’s and Sexuality Studies at the University of Iowa. Dutta also works as a volunteer and advisor with several collectives of trans and gender non-conforming communities such as kothis and hijras in eastern India. Mikail Khan speaks to Ani about how the 2024 Lok Sabha Indian elections are coopting transgender and kothi people within the Brahminical and Hindutva state-building project and how hijraphobia and false claims of 'Hinduphobia' are impacting movements for trans liberation in India and rest of South Asia.

Izu Islam is a nonbinary transfem Bangladeshi immigrant who has been involved in abolitionist efforts and movements against LGBTQ violence and Islamophobia in the U.S. and beyond. Mikail Khan speaks to Izu on how abolition may or may not be playing a role in Bangladeshi and U.S. based LGBTQ movements and social spaces. Other topics that are touched upon are community care models, how caste is existent within Muslim societies, and the effects of transmisogyny and gay misogyny on forming relationships.