Apsara Reddy made history on January 8 by being appointed the first office-bearer in a national political party. Reddy has been appointed as the National General Secretary of the All India Mahila Congress (AIMC). The appointment was made on January 8 by Congress chief Rahul Gandhi.
Following her appointment, Apsara said,
“I come from a background where I was exposed to many prejudices and injustices quite early on. The hypocrisy and discrimination only motivated me to work against injustice.”
Hailing from Nellore in Andhra Pradesh, Reddy studied investigative journalism (broadcast) in Australia and worked in several media organizations in London before taking up social activism against child rape as well as voicing for LGBTQ+ rights.
After a brief stint with the BJP, she joined the AIADMK in May 2016 under J Jayalalithaa and later joined the Congress in May 2018.
Talking about the much-debated Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016, Reddy said,
“We don’t need charity, we need assistance to bridge the inequality meted out to us for far too long. They use words like rehabilitation. What the community truly needs is education and equal opportunity. Most importantly political recognition.”
