Gauri Sawant

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

Sawant was born as Ganesh and raised in Pune. Her mother died when she was five years old and she was raised by her grandmother. Her father is a police officer. She left her house at the age of 18 as she didn't want to be a disappointment for her dad.[7]

Activism

Gauri 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 in which the Supreme Court recognised transgender as the third gender.[1] Gauri adopted a girl named Gayatri in 2008 after Gayatri's mother died of AIDS.[8][9][7][10]

Personal life and family

Gauri has an adopted daughter, whom she adopted at the age of 4. Gauri said in an interview that she had adopted her after her biological mother, a sex worker who had died from AIDS, leaving her alone, to be sold in the sex-trafficking industry.[11]

In 2017, Gauri was featured in an ad by Vicks. The ad was part of Vicks' ‘Touch of Care’ campaign and showed the story of Gauri and her adopted daughter.[3]

References
  1. "Gauri Sawant- How I became a Mother - Mumbai Mirror -". Mumbai Mirror. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
  2. "Here Is The Real Life Story Of Transgender Activist Gauri Sawant Of Groundbreaking Vicks Ad". The Indian Feed. 2017-04-01. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
  3. "How Activism, Adoption and an Ad Changed a Trans Woman's Life - The Wire". The Wire. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
  4. "The story of Gauri Sawant - A transgender mother". www.timesnownews.com.
  5. http://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/interview-if-something-happens-to-me-i-don-t-want-her-to-return-to-the-streets-gauri-sawant-2389451
  6. "Maharashtra Transgender Activist Becomes Poll Panel's Goodwill Ambassador". NDTV.com. 2019-03-20. Retrieved 2019-03-21.
  7. "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.
  8. "How two mothers came to embrace and accept LGBTQI". The Indian Express. 2017-05-14. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
  9. "The mother who has won India's heart". Rediff. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
  10. "Social activist Gauri Sawant to build a foster home for sex workers' children". Mumbai Live. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
  11. YouTube- Gauri Suresh Sawant interview, TedX
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