When Anannyah Kumari Alex, a 28-year-old year candidate submitted her nomination for the upcoming Kerala assembly polls, she created history. Contesting under the banner of the Democratic Social Justice Party , Anannyah is the first transgender person to contest an Assembly election in Kerala.
Anannyah has chosen to contest from Vengara where she will be pitted against heavyweights like Indian Union Muslim League’s (IUML) P.K. Kunhalikutty and LDF candidate P. Jiji.
Anannyah has already made a mark for herself by becoming the first transgender radio-jockey and news anchor in Kerala. And now, she wants to create a space in society for transgenders. By stepping into politics, Ananya said, she wants to represent her community. “I want to become the voice of a group of people who have been ostracised,” she told Manorama online.
Transgender people can shine in any areas including politics, but they are not given that space, she said. Anannyah said that when we speak of gender equality, it is always about equality for men and women. “Nobody speaks about the rights of the transgender community. Gender equality should mean equality for men, women and transgenders,” she said. Many do not even understand what a transgender person is, she added.
Anannyah said that while seeking votes, she tells people she is a transgender and what it means for the community.
Life has not been easy for Anannyah, who dropped out from school in class XII. She later went to Bengaluru, where she cleaned tables at restaurants, worked in petrol pumps and even resorted to begging to earn a living. Opening up about her battle with stigma, Anannyah recalled an incident when a person spat on her face and slapped her. The journey has been hard, but Anannyah said she is glad she has reached where she is now and that she has her own ideologies in life.
Anannyah said that this election is not just about victory or loss, but about representing members of the transgender community and giving them more visibility.