Growing up in a conservative, deeply patriotic Thai family, Nutchanon Pairoj (Nut) dreamt of being a soldier, serving his country and his king. But when he lost his leg in a motorcycle accident at 16, his life took a drastically different path. He enrolled in Thailand’s famed Thammasat University to study political science, and quickly …
Read More
Anima Mondal was in eighth grade when her parents announced they’d found a man to marry her. Growing up in a village in rural West Bengal, Anima knew this was the norm — her mother wed when she was only nine; her grandmother at six. But something inside Anima demanded that she say no. Anima’s …
Read More
Today, 25-year-old Shabnam Khan is a minor celebrity in Mewat — a rural region of Rajasthan home to Muslim and Dalit (lowest caste) communities. Her claim to fame? She is the first woman from the region to become an engineer. She’s respected by men and a beloved role model to women. But her journey wasn’t …
Read More
Around the world, the rights and safety of LGBTQI+ are under attack. But pockets of progress – life saving progress – do exist, often in unexpected places. “10 years ago, our sisters were getting murdered here,” says Antony Montesino, from his home in La Unión, El Salvador, and a member of the town’s LGBTQI+ community. …
Read More
Antony Montesino was born with a blessing that many LGBTQI+ people in El Salvador can only dream of: a supportive, loving family. But when both his parents died when Antony was 22, he was left to raise his four younger sisters alone. That shift transformed Antony into a dedicated caretaker and leader — a role …
Read More
Today, 26-year-old Kahory Ramos lights up any room she walks into — brimming with positive energy and enthusiasm. But her journey to embrace herself was difficult, and at times, dangerous. Kahory grew up in a poor, traditional neighborhood outside La Unión, El Salvador — with four siblings steeped in the country’s sexist, ‘machismo’ culture. Kahory …
Read More
Santoshi is the youngest of seven siblings in a family where none of her older sisters ever went to school and all were forced into marriage. As her sisters’ lives unfolded, Santoshi understood she couldn’t follow in their footsteps. She convinced her parents to allow her to go to school, but that was the extent …
Read More
