As locals tentatively approach the table where she’s seated, India Miller beams. It’s a busy night at CinéBistro, the combination movie theater, restaurant and bar. A large sign bearing the word “Transplaining” is placed at her elbow, openly inviting patrons into what she describes as an “informative and safe space, where participants can ask any questions they have about transgender experiences, identities and issues.”

“I’m an open book,” she says in her gentle Minnesotan lilt, inviting passersby to engage. “Ask me anything.”

Miller, 55,  values being available to all communities and gender representations, and enthusiastically shows up all over town to demystify and shed light on trans topics and issues that some people feel afraid of, unsure of, or simply question. Whether she’s set up at a farmers market or as a guest at Pride events around town, “no questions aren’t answered to the best of my ability,” she says.

The event at CinéBistro brings out people’s curiosity. Miller is vivacious and dynamic, and her pixie cut, saturated with purple and blue, makes her hard to miss. Some moviegoers approach her to compliment her for her advocacy or her adorably ruffled handbag, or just engage in a brief chat. Others come with hard questions about hot community topics—like what it means to be a tomboy as a teen, and whether that might mean a person could feel pressured to transition. Miller responds that it’s essential “to encourage dialogue about the nuances of what each individual is going through, like gender dysphoria,” and that being a tomboy or a trans person is not a monolithic experience.

Miller says she often gets questions about “trans athletes, locker room situations and showering.” She’s been asked about how people’s perceptions of trans people have changed over the decades and how best to support a child or grandchild who may be transitioning. She answers honestly, highlighting her unique, 40-year perspective as a transgender individual and pointing people toward resources created by groups like the Human Rights Campaign, Equality Florida, the Movement Advancement Project and Advocates for Trans Equality.

According to Miller, a health care provider recently told her that they thought “being trans was a 2000s thing”—a myth Miller works diligently to bust. “I’m hoping to enlighten some people not already sensitive to our plight,” she says. After coming out in 1989, long before internet access became a part of everyday life, she suffered and struggled. Like many trans and queer youth, Miller lost family and friends, and survived alcohol and drug abuse, suicide attempts and homelessness.

According to a 2023 report by the National Institutes of Health, when a person receives gender-affirming care, the risk of suicidal ideation and attempts appears to decline in the majority of studied cases. Advocates for Trans Equality, meanwhile, has found that “one in five transgender individuals have experienced homelessness at some point in their lives.” Those numbers spike even higher for transgender people of color, partly because those attempting to receive health services face more significant challenges than their white counterparts.

Eight years ago, in Minnesota, Miller suffered a violent attack by a man targeting trans women, and transgender individuals face higher rates of violence in general. That’s particularly true in Florida: According to data compiled last year by the Human Rights Campaign, 9 percent of the 335 known trans or gender-non-conforming people killed in the previous decade lived in Florida. To protect herself, Miller has taken self-defense classes.

She debuted her “Transplaining” concept at Project Pride’s June Silver Pride event, which was created to celebrate LGBTQ+ people 50 and older. “It was wildly popular,” says Miller. “Requests to do it monthly, weekly, at a church and a synagogue, even online, have come pouring in. I think so many people are scared to misspeak, so they avoid asking questions.”

Since moving to Sarasota in 2022, Miller has also been busy caroling with her amateur singing group, The Nananas, at local nursing homes. “We don’t rehearse,” she says. “We are awful, but they love it.”

More recently, Miller has fallen in love for what she says is the first time. “Jack is a former medic in the U.S. Army who served in Afghanistan,” she says. “He is also transgender and began the transition to male in 2023.” This is a new dynamic for Miller, who never thought she would experience falling head over heels for anyone.

“Let’s just say it’s wonderfully complicated,” she says.

To learn more about Miller’s “Transplaining” events, follow her on Facebook (India X Miller), TikTok (@indiaxmiller) or Instagram (@indiamillerMinneSarasotan).