Fashion is political. When Kani Kusruti carried a watermelon-shaped bag at the Cannes Film Festival 2024, it was seen as a gesture of solidarity with Palestine. The Met Gala’s recent focus on Black Dandyism also reflected this intersection of style and statement. But fashion’s political voice often struggles to reach beyond the limits of luxury. But Chennai’s 17th Self-Respect Pride March shifted this view. Among rainbow-painted faces, crochet wraps, and outfits made of glass paper, trans activist and poet Agni Pradeep walked in a white cotton sari painted with queer icons and inscribed with handwritten demands.
Agni Pradeep, carrying the weight of the community’s demands, both literally and figuratively, conceived the garment with the help of LGBTQIA+ activist Srijith Sundaram and artist Thanesvar. She says, “The idea started when we, as queer artists and writers, wanted to use art to reflect our activism and rights. One of the key points was to highlight how queer and trans people are tokenised and often not paid, even when participating in events or even receiving awards. People are recognised, but they’re not compensated. If awards were given with cash prizes, it could help with livelihood too.”
Rather than being merely decorative, the sari listed political demands, one of the most urgent being the call for horizontal reservation — a policy framework that accounts for multiple marginalisations, on the basis of caste and gender identity, simultaneously.
“The sari listed ten points, explaining why we’re asking for reservation, not just for identity, but for lived experience,” Agni explains. “For instance, a Dalit trans woman or a Dalit queer person always faces multiple layers of discrimination. We need to reflect on that and demand space with dignity and proper space, which we believe will come only through horizontal reservation.”
While Karnataka has introduced 1% horizontal reservation for trans persons under the Most Backward Classes (MBC) category, Agni raised a fundamental concern. “Our demand is, if I’m trans, how can I be placed under MBC automatically? Reservation must be based on my caste identity along with gender identity. So the government must give that 1% horizontally, based on caste location. Current policies don’t fully recognise the trans and queer community.”
A policy draft exists in Tamil Nadu, but implementation has stalled. “The major policy-level demand is horizontal reservation. Even at the Pride march, this was the main ask.”
Honouring icons
The sari also paid tribute to queer and trans trailblazers. Hand-painted portraits of Revathi Amma, Living Smile Vidya, Kalki Subramaniam, Negha, Reshma (Ray), writer-activist Rizwana, theatre artiste Srijith Sundaram, and Marakka were woven into the fabric. “We wanted to highlight their contributions because society still acts as if these people don’t exist,” says Agni.
Working closely with Agni, Thanesvar created the sari as a wearable work of protest art. He says, “It took me about two days. We put the people we wanted to highlight right at the front. That’s why we placed them at the top of the sari design.” The illustrations were Thanesvar’s own. “I wanted to include the Pride flag and keep the rest of the design subtle,” he shared. He drew inspiration from film posters and Tamil visual references. Painted entirely by hand, the project costed around `6,000 and was funded by the team themselves.
Walking in the Chennai heat, wearing the thick cotton sari was not easy, but Agni carried it with a purpose. She shares, “I had to think carefully about the drape — if it’s not done right, it won’t have the effect. So we planned that intentionally. That’s how it ended up being visually powerful.”
The sari resonated far beyond the Pride march. Shared across social media, it has become a talking point and sparked renewed interest in horizontal reservation. Agni says, “Many artistes and writers were sharing and speaking up.” For Thanesvar, the project offered a sense of purpose and visibility.
On the streets that day, fashion became a way to speak, to insist, and to be seen.