Padmini Prakash

Padmini Prakash is an Indian news anchor, actress and transgender rights activist. She became the first openly trans person to work as a news anchor in India when she joined the Tamil channel Lotus News Channel on 15 August 2014. Padmini was disowned by her family who rejected her gender identity, at the age of 13. She left her home at age 16, and has not been in contact with her family since then.

Career On 15 August 2014, India's Independence Day, Padmini hosted the 7 pm news bulletin on the Tamil channel Lotus News Channel, becoming the first Indian trans woman to be a television news anchor. The news channel started looking for transgender news anchors after the landmark NALSA judgment which gave transgender people the right to self-identify as male, female or third gender, and granted many more recognitions and protections for the transgender community in India. She was given two months training by Lotus News of voice modulation.

Padmini Prakash was commended by Rose Venkatesan, who was India's first transgender talk show hostess, in Ippadikku Rose on Star Vijay TV. In fact, Rose was the one who recommended Padmini for the job at Lotus News.