Laxmi Narayan Tripathi

A transgender Indian woman in an orange sari with wet hair in front of a crowd

From ‘pariah’ to ‘demigod,’ transgender leader a star at massive Indian festival

Lifestyle & Belief

Transgender reality star Laxmi Narayan Tripathi is helping revive India’s “third gender.” Her religious movement has made strides in the Kumbh Mela, a huge religious festival on the banks of the Ganges river, but Tripathi has also been accused of fuelling “the right-wing politics of communal hatred.”

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