Tenzin Mariko


Tenzin Mariko is a Tibetan model and LGBTQ icon. She is the first openly transgender Tibetan in the public eye.

Early life

Born as Tenzin Ugen to Tsering Gonpo and Chime Yangzom, she was sent to the Samdrup Darjay Choling Monastery in Darjeeling to become a Buddhist monk. At the age of 13, Mariko was sent to Tergar Institute in Kathmandu to further her monastic studies. She left the institute and returned to Dharamshala at the age of 16. Born in Bir, Himachal Pradesh, she currently lives in the suburb of McLeod Ganj in Dharamshala.

Career

Mariko's first appearance as a transgender model was at the 2015 Miss Tibet pageant held in Dharamshala. In 2018, she participated in MTV India's Ace Of Space 1.