Ponni, Transgender Woman Realizes Her Dream Teaching Dance In an Indian Slum

Ponni, a transgender woman from Chennai, India had a dream 20 year ago as a youth. She longed to dance, but because of her gender expression Ponni was denied the classes she needed to hone her skills. She was forced to watch dancers, secretly, alone from outside peering threw a window.

Ponni's life long dream is being realized and much to her amazement, with the support of her students parents. Ponni's story is an inspiration to all of us as she crosses bridges, creating friendship with respect, hard work and unselfish dedication while dancing to her own music.

CHENNAI: The clanging of the 'nattuvangam' resonates with the synchronised thumping of more than a dozen pairs of feet. Dressed in purple and blue, the children elbow one another in the cramped room, but they snap to attention when their guru dances to the invocatory song.

The room is small and in a ramshackle tenement, but the clutter does not hamper the passion with which Ponni, a transgender, leads her students. "I want to be as graceful as her," says 12-year-old R Supriya, trying to perfect her mudras in front of the mirrors that line one side of the class.

Located in a slum in Vyasarpadi on the outskirts of Chennai, Abhinaya Nrithyalaya is the outcome of Ponni's 20-year dream. "I've wanted to set up a dance school for slum children since my childhood in Tuticorin when I was rejected by a dance class because it was open only to Brahmin students. I used to secretly stand by the window and watch them dance," recalls Ponni, who underwent a sex reassignment surgery in her 20s. Read more at Times of India

Photo The Hindu "Carving an identity with dance
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About TERF's, MEMF MRE and RADFEM2013

Trans Exclusive Radical Feminist's or TERF who are making quite a spectical of themseves. Seems like a week doesn't pass without them distancing themseves further from true RadFems. It seems at times the TERF's pperate under the assumtion that she who yells the lousest and most is the most believable.



That simplistic approach would work if the TERF's didn't invalidate it everytime they speak. From a realitivly new blog "Sisterhood" about page: "This Blog’s Purpose
I am a radical feminist, a revolutionary feminist, a radicaldyke. This blog is part of the radical feminist online resistence to ensure feminism remains about the liberation of women."

The first post you will find like most others attempts to meld feminism with transphobia by conflating the trans agenda with MRE's (Mens Rights Extremist groups).

The first paragraph of "Sisterhood":" This post is intended to shed light on all that has happened, so far, to radfem2013. What has happened should be important to those on the radical left and all feminists everywhere – but thanks to alliances made between trans/queers with MRE‘s, it’s very difficult for us to be heard in the public domain without the distortions flooding our truths and drowning them out."

A quick perusal of Reddits r/MensRights will qickly debunk that fallacy. Asd a trans woman I have very little in common with there concerns but I respect their desire for equality. I am sure some trans men would more readily identify with those concerns expresed on that Reddit.

Quite honestly I had never even heard of "MRE's untill a couple of weeeks ago. I'm a retired solider. MRE's had always meant "Meals Ready to Eat" untill now.

But regardless of where we are under the umbrella, with a few exceptions, we are diamenticly opposed to the Mens rights groups agenda.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men's_rights_movement "Men's rights groups have formed in some European countries during periods of shifts toward conservatism and policies supporting traditional family and gender relations. In the United States, the men's rights movement has close ideological ties to neoconservatism. Men's rights activists have received lobbying support from conservative organizations and their arguments have been covered extensively in neoconservative media."

TERF's want to appeal to feminists. They envision themseelves as a 'radicals' fighting for womans rights. Most Radfems as it turns out, object to being lumped together with Radfems.