India: Transgender TV host defies taboos

GayNZ.com – By GayNZ.com News Staff

A young transgender Indian who started life as Ramesh Venkatesan – but is now known as Rose – has made television history by hosting a TV chat show.

Not only is it India’s first TV programme to discuss sex, homosexuality, adultery, prostitution and pornography, it is also the first time a transgender person has appeared as a television anchor.

The first episodes of Ippadikku Rose (Yours, Rose in Tamil) aired last week. Rose, a 28-year-old, US-educated biomedical engineer, has no television experience.