Transgenders' blight

WHEN Avant Theatre's artistic director G Selvanathan first decided to stage the controversial play Akka (which is Tamil for "sister") back in 1991, his goal was to be a voice for Singapore's transgender community.

"The issue we highlighted was that society was not giving them space to be themselves," says Mr Selva. "We wanted to give them the courage to say,'I'm moving on with my life whether or not you accept me'."

Though it was a taboo subject at the time, the play was well received as one of the first transgender texts presented on stage in Tamil in Singapore.