BHUBANESWAR, April 22 -- BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik has appointed transgender social activist Meera Parida as vice-president of the Biju Mahila Janata Dal. In what is the first case of its kind in Odisha, a member of the LGBTQ community has been appointed in such a prestigious post of the women's wing of a political party.
"We must not ignore the ground reality where transgenders are clubbed with women. This is a small step in the right direction that may well lead to a LGBTQ wing in a political party sometime in the future. In any case, I like to identify myself as a trans-woman rather than a transgender," Meera said.
Meera's appointment, however, does not just have to do with her transgender status but a recognition of the path-breaking...