Precarious life in a heartless world: COVID-19 and the gender transgressive Shivashaktis in Southern India.

This article examines the experiences of the Shivashaktis, a gender transgressive community from Southern India, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Shivashaktis derive religious legitimacy and livelihood through shamanistic and ritual practices, including oracle performances, deity marriages (laggams), and pilgrimages, embedded within heteronormative family structures. The pandemic-induced lockdowns disrupted their relational world, causing severe economic, psychological, and community hardships, as their ritual-based income sources ceased and they lacked access to transgender welfare programs due to their familial embeddedness and sacred public image. Unlike more visible transgender groups such as the Hijras, the Shivashaktis were unable to collectivize or access state and NGO support, rendering their suffering largely invisible within public policy and social welfare frameworks.