Transgender influencers in Asia use platforms to promote acceptance
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Indian model Sushant Divgikar has 1.8 million Instagram followers
Published Ankush Kumar
TOKYO — In the time of the internet, new influencers are becoming famous every day. Some dance to someone’s else songs for viewership. Some talk about different gadgets, while others use the platform to create a powerful impact on society.
The Transgender community in Asia continues to become more visible, but it still has a long way to go. Trans icons in the region who have become famous online are using their influence to spread awareness of the Trans community among their fans and across their respective countries alike.
Kaede Sari, a Japanese architect, is fighting to spread awareness about Trans people in her country and change society’s perspective of Trans people as mere entertainment.
She released a documentary, “You Decide,” in July 2020 that is based on her life. The idea was to spread awareness about Trans people in Japan and inspire other Trans people in the country. The documentary was available in select theaters and on Netflix Japan.
“I have continued to disseminate information, especially to students and families, as well as corporate employers and personnel,” said Sari in a statement to the Washington Blade. “However, society is still in the process of change. Some Transgender people may not be able to come out depending on their position. I want to tell them, ‘You don’t have to come out until the environment is ready. Until we change the whole society, please find a reliable person (to whom you) can come out. And please be a person that is trusted to receive the coming out of many people.’”
The Trans community has been an integral and mostly accepted part of Japanese culture since the Edo period from 1603-1868.
Japan in the late 1800s moved from a country that accepted gender fluidity to one that adopted Western gender binary norms. The Trans community in Japan now faces regular humiliation, misunderstanding and discrimination.
Japanese law stipulates a person has to show their ID — which often has a gender identity marker — when accessing education, health, transportation and other services. Authorities often ask invasive questions if a Trans person’s picture doesn’t match their gender marker on the ID card.
Sari told the Blade she wanted to come out after finishing school, getting a job or moving into a new home.
She came out just before she began to look for employment. Sari said her Trans friends either dropped out of school or decided not to come out.
“In Asia, many countries, including Japan, are conservative in change, and policies for LGBT (people) are spreading only in limited areas,” said Sari. “There are two steps to changing those who disagree with LGBT. ‘The stage of understanding LGBT’ and ‘the stage of accepting LGBT.’ I think we are in the stage of understanding now, so please get the correct knowledge.”
China, like Japan, has a long relationship with the Trans community, but repression against it is a reality. Trans cultural icons in China are fighting hard to change the narrative and situation inside the country and abroad.
Fan Popo, a Chinese filmmaker and LGBTQ+ and intersex activist, is working to change attitudes about the country’s trans community through films and documentaries.
Popo is known for his iconic documentary “Mama Rainbow,” which has inspired many LGBTQ+ and intersex people in China. The film attracted significant viewers on the internet in China and started a public discussion about the queer community. It has since disappeared from Youku, Tudou, 56.com and other popular Chinese streaming services.
Popo launched a ferocious legal battle with China’s State Administration of Radio, Film and Television and the fight resulted in a partial victory in 2015.
He continues to make LGBTQ+-focused films to spread awareness in China and among Chinese people who are living abroad.
Popo moved to Germany in 2017 and is now working on a fictional film debut. While talking with the Blade, he said the film is important for him as he feels he didn’t do enough for the queer community, and he wants to contribute more to the community in the coming years.
“Ever since I moved to Germany, I have been facing systematic racism. There are little resources are available for people of color,” said Popo. “What my colleagues in China have to face is also impacting me, so this makes me feel frustrated and unsafe. Another difficulty that I am facing right now is traveling back to China because of restrictions.”
Despite all the struggles, Popo has had a huge impact with his fans inside China and around the world.
His creativity and films historically have inspired the Trans community. He has made six films, and his last film was “Beer! Beer!” in 2020.
In India, the Trans community has historical ties to traditional Indian culture.
According to scholars and ancient Indian texts, the Trans community garnered respect, but things changed once the British colonized the country.
Section 377 of India’s colonial-era penal code that came into force in 1861 criminalized homosexuality. The Indian Supreme Court in 2018 struck down the discriminatory law, but more than 200 years of British colonial rule pushed Indian society to become discriminatory against trans people.
To create awareness about Trans Indians, Trans icons are using their social media platforms and creating a positive impact on society.
Sushant Divgikar is an Indian model, actor, singer, drag queen and motivational speaker who won Mr. Gay India in 2014. With 1.8 million Instagram followers, Divgikar has been spreading awareness about the country’s Trans community.
“The Transgender community has shared a very beautiful status in the context of Indian cultural history in the pre-colonial area. After things changed because the British had very narrow-minded thoughts on the queer community. They talk about how the British divided and ruled the country based on caste, but they do not talk about how British rule divided the country based on gender diversity,” Divgikar told the Blade. “Over the past 16 and half years, I have been performing as a drag queen, actor, model, and motivational speaker, so of course, it has been a roller coaster ride, but I have never imagined this anything else. If I had not struggled this much, I would not have known what I have today and what I did not have.”
Divgikar since 2012 has appeared on many TV shows and participated in numerous competitions. They have also been using Instagram to talk about the queer community and start a public discussion. Divgikar has inspired many fans with their inspirational posts and stories.
Divgikar in 2020 appeared on Forbes 30 under 30 list.
“At the time when people were not ready to talk about their orientation, I was on TV, risking my life because I used to get death threats, I used to get rape threats. When I was younger, I used to get frustrated because of threats, but now I feel bad for them,” they said. “They are the ones who really need a big hug and some therapy. I don’t mind paying for their therapy.”
Divgikar also talked about their appearance on the third largest billboard in New York’s Times Square for an entire month.
While talking with the Blade, Divgikar said Trans Indians feel represented when they see them on big stages. Divgikar feels pride in representing every Asian, and especially Trans Indians, on the world stage.
“When you harm another person, you are not just harming that person,” said Divgikar while talking about hate crimes against the trans community in Asia. “You are killing the whole humanity.”
Ankush Kumar (Mohit) is a freelance reporter who has covered many stories for Washington and Los Angeles Blades from Iran, India and Singapore. He recently reported for the Daily Beast. He can be reached at mohitk@opiniondaily.news. He is on Twitter at @mohitkopinion.
Courtesy Los Angeles Blade
Note: This news piece was originally published in losangelesblade.com and used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes exclusively for Human Rights