Gopi Shankar Madurai

Gopi Shankar Madurai (born 13 April 1991) is an Indian activist and Indigenist. They are among the youngest people, and the first openly intersex and genderqueer person, to serve on a statutory body in India. In 2016, they were a candidate in the 2016 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election. They founded the Srishti Madurai. In January 2026, Shankar was appointed as the Special Monitor for SOGIESC rights in the National Human Rights Commission of India.

Shankar's advocacy led the Madras High Court (Madurai Bench) to direct the Government of Tamil Nadu to prohibit forced sex-selective surgeries on intersex infants. In December 2017, Shankar was elected to the executive board of ILGA. In August 2020, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment appointed Shankar as the South Regional representative on the National Council for Transgender Persons. They advocated for an "others" option in the sex field on application forms for political parties and central universities, including Jawaharlal Nehru University. Shankar also contributed to civil rights advancements for transgender people, such as pilot licenses for trans men and property inheritance rights for trans women. The Juvenile Justice Committee and POCSO Committee have consulted Shankar on issues affecting infants and children with diverse sex characteristics.