From Social Exclusion to Self-Assertion: Queer Identity and Performance in I Am Vidya and The Gift of Goddess Lakshmi

Abstract

This research paper studies I am vidya a transgender's journey by Living Smile Vidya and The Gift of Goddess Lakshmi: A Candid Biography of the First Transgender Principal by Jhimli Mukherjee Pandey and Manobi Bandopadhyay. The themes of works is queer identity, social exclusion, gender performance, and self-assertion. The paper examines how transgender individuals suffer because of rigid social rules and traditional beliefs about gender in Indian society. Both autobiographies describe the emotional pain, rejection, discrimination, humiliation, and loneliness faced by transgender people in their everyday lives. The study also explores how the writers struggle to express their true identities while facing social pressure and marginalization. Using Queer Theory and Judith Butler’s concept of gender performativity, the paper analyses how gender is socially constructed through behaviour, appearance, and repeated actions. The autobiographies not only present suffering and exclusion but also show courage, resistance, and self-confidence. Through autobiographical writing, both writers challenge social stereotypes and strongly assert their identities and dignity in society.