Mario da Penha

Education

• Ph.D. in History (Ongoing), Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
• MA in Modern History, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
• BA in History, St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai

Profile

Mario is a queer historian, activist and political worker. He is writing his doctoral dissertation on the history of Hijras during Maratha and early colonial rule in western India, at Rutgers University. He has been an activist for LGBTQIA+ rights for over twenty years. He was a co-petitioner in the cases against I.P.C. Section 377, and more recently, in favor of marriage equality.

Research Interests

• History of Gender and Sexuality
• Queer History
• Early Modern Deccan

Publications

• “The Queer Flock of Pope Leo XIV” in Hindustan Times (May 14, 2025)
• “All You Need Is Love, The Pope Agrees (As Did The Beatles)” in Hindustan Times (December 22, 2023)
• “So Much For Queering The Pitch” in Economic Times (October 21, 2023)
• “On The Road with the Bharat Jodo Yatra” on Sabrang (January 5, 2023)
• “Saleem Kidwai Stood Against the Tide, in Life and Work” in Mint Lounge (November 2, 2021)
• “Queering the Campus: The Anjuman Experience” in Neeladri Bhattacharya et. al. (eds.), JNU Stories: The First 50 Years (New Delhi: Aleph, 2020)
• “The Peshwa’s Tax Holiday: How The Mughals and Marathas Dealt With Distress Migration” in The Hindu Magazine (June 21, 2020)