A talk on “What does it take to Survive?: Towards the Abolition of Transphobia” by Vikramaditya Sahai
ABOUT THE TALK
Suggesting a practice that emerges from the psychic and otherwise complexities of trans persons, this talk works against the carceral logics that address transphobia around us today. We look closely at moments in two texts that narrate trans life – a film that documents trans nightlife in late 20th century New York and an autobiography of one of India’s most famous trans icons – to complicate our understanding of what transphobia is, what work it does in trans lives, and who the perpetrator of such violence is. Staying with these concerns, we confront the accused of a massacre of queer and trans persons in a nightclub in Orlando, Florida in 2016 to cull an otherwise to the police response that followed. By paying attention to the everyday border crossings of life and death that trans persons call survival, the talk proposes a practice that might unhinge trans-ness from its fatality to address, more justly, the ways in which trans lives could flourish and be free.
This talk will be moderated by Dr Geeti Das, Assistant Professor of Politics, SIAS, Krea University.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Vikramaditya/ vqueeram is faculty at O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonepat, Haryana. They live and love in Delhi.