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Santa Khurai was seventeen when she decided to start dressing like a woman.
Born male, she had always believed herself to be female, and she claimed her
feminine identity fiercely and openly. Her bold act of wearing dresses and makeup
in public brought down upon her the wrath of her father, insults and ridicule
wherever she went, and, frequently, beatings at the hands of the armed forces
who are a constant presence in her native Manipur. The humiliation and physical
attacks did not deter her. In her words, 'My desire to be a woman, a beautiful,
fashionable woman, was so strong that I was not afraid of challenging anything
that came in the way... I felt that I could bear anything but I could not live like a
man.'
The price she has had to pay is high. Knocking on doors for a job, she found that
most times, no one would employ her because of the way she looked. When she
eventually found success as a make-up artist, with her own beauty parlour, the
stress of her struggles sent her spiralling into drug abuse and penury.
Fighting her way through these troubles, she became involved with the
transgender movement, and in 2010, she was appointed Secretary of the All
Manipur Nupi Maanbi Association (AMaNA). Since then, she has worked closely
with AMaNA and its sister organization, Solidarity and Action Against The
HIV Infection in India (SAATHII). Today, she is at the forefront of the LGBTQ
movement in Manipur, travelling the world to speak for her community.
Santa Khurai has known the heartbreak of an abusive marriage with a
heterosexual man, and the joy of adopting a son; the highs and lows of
international recognition and disownment by her own family. Through it all,
she has remained true to herself, and refused to be broken. Her story is an
inspiration for all humanity.
