Dharamshala, 7th May: We all heard about Mariko, a monk-turned-woman, and her difficult journey being a trans-woman in society. Unless you are living under a rock Tenzin Mariko is a Tibetan model and LGBTQ celebrity. She is the public’s first openly transgender Tibetan. She got famous when a video of her dancing in a wig, five-inch heels, and full makeup at a close friend’s wedding became viral on Tibetan social media in 2014. Mariko initially denied that she was the woman in the viral video. She only came forth with the facts later, after which she endured nasty comments from strangers for being transgender. Her family had prevented Mariko from expressing herself as a woman.
She was born in 1997, in Bir, Himachal Pradesh, as Tenzin Ugen. She is the daughter of Tsering Gonpo and Chime Yangzom and was sent to Darjeeling’s Samdrup Darjay Choling Monastery to study Buddhism when she was 9. Mariko was later sent to Tergar Institute in Kathmandu at the age of 13 to continue her monastic education. At the age of 16, she left the institute and returned to Dharamshala. She now resides in McLeod Ganj.
Mariko made her debut as a transgender model at the Miss Tibet contest in Dharamshala in 2015. Tenzin Mariko understood she was making a life-changing decision when she decided to compete in the 2015 Miss Tibet pageant. Many in the Tibetan community were unaware of her gender identity before the pageant.
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Mariko’s participation in the pageant and the subsequent dance performances marked a turning point for the Tibetan LGBTQ community, with Mariko swiftly becoming renowned as the first openly transgender Tibetan. Mariko says she has no hard feelings toward anyone who mocked or misunderstood her look, noting that many Tibetans were unaware of transgender individuals until she decided to make herself prominent.
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