Chanu Nimesha, the member of the LGBTQ+ community, is a candidate among 8,000 hoping for a seat in parliament.

Sri Lanka ’s first openly transgender parliamentary candidate aims to foster a more inclusive political culture. Chanu Nimesha, 49, a member of the Socialist Party of Sri Lanka, is contesting from the Kegalle constituency and is focusing her campaign on social justice issues.

Chanu Nimesha is contesting Sri Lanka's parliamentary election on Thursday as the first openly transgender candidate, hoping to forge a more inclusive and tolerant political culture on the South Asian island.

Chanu Nimesha is Sri Lanka’s first openly transgender candidate who is vying for a seat in the 225-seat parliament. The 49-year-old Socialist Party candidate was one of the thousands who marched in Colombo in 2022 to occupy then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s office and residence,