Beyond Transgender

This book examines the sociopolitical lives of gender nonconforming people (GNCP) in India in the context of the transformations wrought by HIV and LGBTQ activism over the past three decades. It explores how GNCP assert their agency within a cis-heteronormative society and establish themselves as rights-bearing citizens against the backdrop of Section 377—India’s primary legal instrument criminalizing same-sex intimacy until its repeal in 2018. Drawing on thirty-seven in-depth interviews with outreach workers, activists, and community members, complemented by extensive ethnographic fieldwork, the study elucidates participants’ strategic engagement with identity categories, their contestation and redefinition of community boundaries, and their relationship to the law. This work makes a significant contribution to gender studies by revealing the complex negotiations of gender nonconformance at the intersection of stigma, biosurveillance, and social class within a rapidly evolving cultural milieu. It will appeal to scholars in gender and sexuality studies, sociology, and political science.

Ankita Mukherjee is an Independent Scholar who received her PhD in Sociology from Newcastle University, UK, in 2023. Her research examines gender issues related to the evolving politics of naming and community formation at the intersection of HIV interventions and transgender legislation. Currently based in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, Ankita works independently on projects related to diversity, inclusion, and internationalisation. She contributes monthly columns to regional magazines and engages in initiatives that support intercultural understanding and foster more inclusive communities.