Shreegauri Sawant
Shreegauri (Gauri) Sawant is a transgender activist from Mumbai, India.[1] She is the director of Sakhi Char Chowghi that helps transgender people and people with HIV/AIDS.[2] She was featured in an ad by Vicks.[3][4][5] She was made the goodwill ambassador of Election Commission in Maharashtra.[6]
Early life
[edit]Sawant was born and raised in Pune. Her mother died when she was seven years old and she was raised by her grandmother. Her father is a police officer. She left her house at the age of 14 or 15 as she didn't want to be a disappointment for her dad.[7]
Activism
[edit]Sawant founded the Sakhi Char Chowghi Trust in 2000. The NGO promotes safe sex and provides counselling to transgender people.[7] In 2014, she became the first transgender person to file a petition in the Supreme Court of India for adoption rights of transgender people.[8] She was a petitioner in the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) case (National Legal Services Authority v. Union of India) in which the Supreme Court recognised transgender as the third gender.[1] Sawant adopted a girl named Gayatri in 2008 after Gayatri's mother died of AIDS.[8][9][7][10]
Personal life and family
[edit]Sawant has an adopted daughter, whom she adopted at the age of 4. Sawant said in an interview that she had adopted her after her biological mother, a sex worker who died from AIDS, left her alone to be sold in the sex-trafficking industry.[11]
In popular culture
[edit]In 2017, Sawant was featured in an advertisement by Vicks as part of the company's "Touch of Care" campaign. It showed the story of Sawant and her adopted daughter.[3]
A TV series named Taali on JioCinema featuring Sushmita Sen in the role of Gauri Sawant.[12]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Gauri Sawant- How I became a Mother - Mumbai Mirror -". Mumbai Mirror. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
- ^ "Here Is The Real Life Story Of Transgender Activist Gauri Sawant Of Groundbreaking Vicks Ad". The Indian Feed. 2017-04-01. Archived from the original on 2018-04-21. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
- ^ a b "How Activism, Adoption and an Ad Changed a Trans Woman's Life - The Wire". The Wire. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
- ^ "The story of Gauri Sawant - A transgender mother". www.timesnownews.com.
- ^ "If something happens to me, I don't want her to return to the streets: Gauri Sawant". 9 April 2017.
- ^ "Maharashtra Transgender Activist Becomes Poll Panel's Goodwill Ambassador". NDTV.com. 2019-03-20. Retrieved 2019-03-21.
- ^ a b c "Against All Odds: Activist Gauri Sawant Has Been Fighting For Transgender Rights All Her Life". The Logical Indian. 2017-05-30. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
- ^ a b "How two mothers came to embrace and accept LGBTQI". The Indian Express. 2017-05-14. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
- ^ "The mother who has won India's heart". Rediff. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
- ^ "Social activist Gauri Sawant to build a foster home for sex workers' children". Mumbai Live. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
- ^ YouTube- Gauri Suresh Sawant interview, TedX
- ^ "Who is Shreegauri Sawant, the transgender activist portrayed by Sushmita Sen in Taali?". cnbctv18.com. 2022-10-06. Retrieved 2022-10-07.