Shivali is a transgender woman, which means that she was born a male, but she identifies as female. Her courageous story was recently featured in a video by 101 India, which captures her fearless spirit. It shows how, in the face of rejection from society and even her own father, she stood strong, and did what she had to do to take care of herself, including paying for her own psychological treatment.

Shivali’s story is one of the many, many stories of the transgender community in India, which is often, unfortunately, misunderstood. Although certain legal rights have been provided to the community, shame and stigma still keep them from being accepted by the society. Stories like Shivali’s continue to inspire us, and give us hope that we’re headed towards some positive change.