Awards

Kalki Subramaniam has received numerous awards and international recognitions for her work as a transgender rights activist, artist, author, and actor. The following list details her major honors, categorized by international and national recognition, as well as her artistic and literary achievements.

International Honors & Recognitions

• Gender Justice Queen (2024): Crowned by the Deputy Mayor of Amsterdam, Turia Melioni, at a Trans Amsterdam event in the Netherlands.

• International Ambassador for TransAmsterdam (2019): Conferred this title by the TransAmsterdam organization in the Netherlands.

• Honorary Doctorate (2017): Awarded by the International Tamil University, USA.

• Harvard University Speaker (2017): Invited to speak at the India Conference at Harvard University, where she received a standing ovation.⁶ She was invited back to speak at Harvard, Yale, Cornell, Rutgers, and UPenn in 2022.⁷

• Facebook’s Inspiring Women (2015): Chosen by Facebook as one of 12 inspiring women in the world who use the platform for community development.

• Official Guest of the United States (2010): Selected as a Human Rights Activist through the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) and honored at the United Nations Office in New York.

National & Regional Awards

• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Champion Award (2025):¹¹ Awarded by The Hindu Group at the “World of Women” event.

• JFW Achievers Award (2025): Received for Excellence in Social Work.

• Plan India Impact Award (2022): Recognized for her ongoing work with the transgender community.

• Radhika Sen Memorial Award (2022): Presented by Plan India for her “Red Wall Project.”

• MG Motors Changemaker (2018): Honored as one of the finest changemakers in India.

• Woman of Worth Nomination (2016): Nominated by L’Oréal Paris India and NDTV under the Arts category.

• Achievers Award (2015): Received from the Coimbatore Lawyers Association.

• Dinamalar ‘Penniyam’ Award (2013): Awarded by the Dinamalar newspaper.

• JCI Outstanding Social Worker Award (2013): Presented by Junior Chamber International, Puducherry.

   

• Lifetime Achievement Award (2009): Awarded by the Lioness Club of Chennai.

   

Artistic & Literary Achievements

• Best Poet Award (2015): Awarded by the BornToWin organization.

• Film Performance Awards:

  • Gold Award (2011):²⁵ For her lead role in the motion picture Narthagi.²⁶

     

  • BornToWin Award (2014):For film performance.

     

• Literary Contributions: Author of the Tamil poetry collection Kuri Aruthean (2014), the English book We Are Not The Others (2021), and Oru Thirunangaiyin Diary Kurippu (2024).

   

Government & Policy Appointments

• National Council for Transgender Persons (2023): Appointed by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (Govt.³⁰ of India) as the Southern Region Representative.

   

• Judicial Activism: Recognized as one of the prominent campaigners behind the Supreme Court of India’s 2014 landmark judgment legalizing transgender identity.