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.