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.

Born in Galle in southern Sri Lanka, she lost her father to political violence when she was 14. It marked a turning point in her life, she says, eventually leading her to relocate to Colombo in search of new beginnings and opportunities. As she embraced ...

High debt, shortsighted economic policies and tourism revenue losses from the COVID-19 pandemic plunged Sri Lanka into its worst financial crisis in more than seven decades in 2022. Nimesha was one of thousands who marched in Colombo that year to occupy ...