An Indian film that humiliates a transgender character has sparked a weekend of protests in Chennai.

About 35 transgender activists yesterday (19 January) gathered outside Censor Board offices demanding an unconditional apology from director Shankar Shanmugham and the removal of the offending scenes.

Tamil blockbuster I has incurred the wrath of the LGBTI community since its release last week. Shankar sought police protection after the activists staged a sit-in outside his home for two successive days over the weekend.

In the offending scene, a transgender make-up artist played by Ojas Rajini makes overtly sexual advances on the lead actor Vikram, who rebuffs her after finding out her gender identity.

He then sings and dances around her while she suggestively eats a sausage and she joins the villains to plot her revenge.

Popular transgender TV personality Rose Venkatesan said she would file a complaint with the commissioner’s office.

‘We want Shankar to remove those scenes from the film. It belittles our community,’ she told the Indo-Asian News Service.

‘The way Shankar has portrayed Ojas’s character makes us look like some sex-starved individuals.’

The activists have vowed to continue protesting until their demands are met.