https://doi.org/10.67147/literariness.v1i2.093
Autobiography as a Form of Resistance: A Search into I Am Vidya: A Transgender’s Journey
DR. DHANYA S
Associate Professor
Department of English
Govt. College Madappally, Calicut, Kerala
Abstract: Living Smile Vidya, an Indian actress, assistant director, writer, and trans and Dalit rights activist from Chennai, is considered the first full-time transgender theatre actress in India. Her autobiography, I Am Vidya: A Transgender’s Journey (2007), is an attempt to reclaim her voice by openly asserting her transgender identity. Trapped in a body that did not align with her gender identity, Vidya has experienced numerous indignities imposed on transgender persons by society. Her sex reassignment surgery was performed crudely and illegally, and despite holding a postgraduate degree in Linguistics, she was forced to earn her livelihood through begging. Her narrative exposes the deep-rooted transphobia that denies transgender people dignity, employment, and housing. The autobiography foregrounds the courage and perseverance she demonstrates in resisting social norms that deny transgender individuals a dignified life. Queer theory challenges fixed, binary concepts of gender and sexuality, viewing identity as socially constructed and regulated by power and discourse.
Keywords: transgender, transphobia, perseverance, queer
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