If one walks into the Hall of Nations at the John F Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts in Washington DC in the US till March 21, 2020, they will be able to see an exhibition featuring 100 women who ‘used their power to empower’. And among there 100 women is Neysara, founder of transgenderindia.com and a trans woman from Mangaluru.
The ‘Vital Voices: 100 Women Using their Power to Empower’ exhibition opened at the John F Kennedy Centre on March 8, 2020 and will be displayed for a fortnight. It features portraits of women from across the world, such as girls’ education crusader Malala Yousafzai; Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Nadia Murad; Chief Kachindamoto, a chief in Malawi working to end child marriage; Lina Khalifeh, founder of Midd-East’s first women’s self-defence group called SheFighter and so on.
The full list is not out yet as Vital Voices – a global non-profit working to support and empower women leaders and champions – is working to put together a coffee table book on the women. Neysara tells TNM that Indian tech entrepreneur Akanksha Hazari is also on the list.
Being featured among these 100 women means a lot to Neysara, she says. “It means a lot for the transgender community too. It’s yet another affirmation that trans women are women, and trans men are men. It amplifies our reach, giving us the power to empower others,” she shares.
Neysara's portrait on display at John F Kennedy Centre
Neysara founded transgenderindia.com, a platform that aims to be a safe space for transgender persons in India to discuss their issues, and share their personal stories and experiences. A glance through the website reveals a talk forum, some options for trans people to seek medical as well as mental health care, articles on the regressive Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, information on gender dysphoria and so on.
Neysara knows how difficult things can be all too well. When she came out to her family at the age of 23, they threatened to kill her out of shame.
“I lost my human privileges in an attempt to be myself. My struggle showed how dangerous transition is in India. People lose their human status and rights, and then, all that happens to them, are human wrongs. I had to do something. I founded transgenderindia.com to empower people to understand their choices.” These lines, narrated by Neysara, along with an animation of her story, is what one sees when they point their phone camera using Google Lens at her portrait at the exhibition at John F Kennedy Centre.
This portrait of hers, along with 99 others, are all created by artist and illustrator Gayle Kabaker, who is renowned for her New Yorker covers.
Neysara was acquainted with Vital Voices two years ago, when she was invited by the organisation to speak at a programme against trafficking. Neysara had spoken about how transgender persons are vulnerable to the same. In 2019, she was among the list of 100 women using their power to empower, and now, her portrait is displayed along with theirs at the John F Kennedy Centre. The exhibition itself is part of an initiative to commemorate 100 years of the 19th amendment to the American Constitution that gave women the right to vote.
Neysara stays in Amsterdam now with her husband. And while she has not been able to see the exhibit in Washington herself, she is happy with the photos and videos her friends are sharing with her.