hi, i’m jenani devi :) :) :)

jenani devi (they/them) is a queer sri-lankan tamil american, writer, organizer, and anti-violence advocate. they are a ‘23-‘25 soros justice fellow and the co-founder of the georgia survivor defense project.

devi has their Bachelor’s of Science in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology from Emory University, and is an incoming 1L at the City University of New York Law School.

they are happily local to brooklyn, ny, originally from south brunswick, nj, and spent ten lovely years in between in atlanta, ga. in their spare time, you’ll find them at the yoga studio or the climbing gym, writing music, reverse engineering a recipe, working on a home project, or just chilling with their super sweet doggie.

they’re not active on social media, so this website is the best way to contact them for projects.

A busy street scene with pedestrians, shops, and colorful signs in a city in Sri Lanka. A man is crossing the street carrying a large bag on his head.

professional projects

soros justice fellowship

host organization: just beginnings collaborative

designed and managed a national research project and staff around increasing community capacities for non-carceral child sexual abuse prevention and generating counter-narratives to carcerality-centered frameworks of CSA; explored rise of anti-trans violence and how moral panics around CSA are utilized to justify expansion of carceral systems. generated 81-page landscape report based on interviews with over 60 participants across the U.S and literature reviews.

Aerial view of a beach in Sri Lanka with turquoise water, rocks near the shore, and a line of palm trees at the bottom of the image. Several boats and surfboards are visible in the water.

georgia survivor defense project

fiscal sponsor: social and environmental entrepreneurs

A pathway is leading towards a large rock formation in Sri Lanka surrounded by green trees and a blue sky with white clouds.

co-founded organization and established fiscal sponsorship within initial two months, fundraised about $300,000 since 2021. in solidarity with incarcerated survivors serving life, launched a post-conviction legal advocacy + participatory defense program for criminalized survivors of gender-based violence in Georgia.

campaigns: #FreeLatoyaNow (success!), #BringNetNetHome (in progress), #FreeMoniqueNow (in progress)

georgia mainstream feminist spaces: georgia network to end sexual assault + partnership against domestic violence

director of policy + marginalized outreach: statewide technical assistance provider for sexual assault centers and communities in ensuring evidence-based practices around trauma-informed care, serving marginalized communities, and utilizing restorative/transformative justice in advocacy practices. developed and led legislative proposal to have the State of Georgia completely fund HIV+ post-exposure prevention (nPEP) for survivors of sexual violence.

coordinator of dating violence prevention: developed and coordinated community-based dating violence prevention programming, raising service provision from two to six metro-Atlanta school districts; provided legal advocacy and prevention education for teen survivors during civil ex-parte proceedings; represented GTAN in co-founding Title-IX Advocacy Collaborative; successfully organized for progressive Title-IX policies to be adopted by the University System of Georgia.

Close-up of a colorful, ornate building facade with red and white striped patterns, arched windows, intricate wood carvings, and an entrance door with detailed metalwork. Contains Arabic script and the year 1908.

misc other things i’ve done

Large golden Buddha statue in the foreground with a white stupa, black lamp posts, and a pathway lined with golden reclining Buddha statues in the background.

  • Movement Strategy Center, 2025

    Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 2020

  • Trans Housing Coalition, Board Member, 2022-2023

    Fulton County Family Violence Task Force, Co-Chair, 2021-2022

    Georgia Collaborative on Title-IX Advocacy, Co-Convener, 2020

    Georgia Teen Advocates Network, Co-Chair, 2019-2021

    Fulton County Family Violence Task Force, Teen DV Committee Chair, 2019-2021

  • 2023 National Sexual Assault Conference, Workshop Presenter

    Charis Books x Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence, “Imperfect Victims: Criminalized Survivors and the Promise of Abolition Feminism”, Panelist, March 2023

    Playwright Horizons, “Discussions on Downstate: “Care is the Antidote to Violence”, Panelist, November 2022

    Freedom Network USA Human Trafficking Conference, Panelist, Spring 2022

    2021 Georgia Commission on Family Violence Conference, Workshop Presenter

    31st American Psychological Association Annual Convention, Poster, May 2019

  • Open Society Foundation, 2023-2025 Soros Justice Fellow

    National Center for Civil and Human Rights LGBTQ+ Institute, 2023 20 AAPI Advocates You Should Know

    Georgia Women’s Policy Institute, 2021-2022 Reproductive Justice Fellow

  • Srijeyanthan, J., Ramsy, M., and Reba, A., Est. Publication Fall 2025. A Conversation on the Criminalization of Queer People, Abolition Feminism, and Resisting Carceral Harms around Child Sexual Abuse. A. Walker and A. Wooda, Abolition and Queer Justice. UC Press.

    Huggett SB, Johnson EC, Hatoum AS, Lai D, Srijeyanthan J, Bubier JA, Chesler EJ, Agrawal A, Palmer AA, Edenberg HJ, Palmer RHC. Genes identified in rodent studies of alcohol intake are enriched for heritability of human substance use. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2021 Dec;45(12):2485-2494. doi: 10.1111/acer.14738. Epub 2021 Dec 19. PMID: 34751961; PMCID: PMC9714312.

    Palmer RH, Benca-Bachman C, Huggett S, Bubier J, Ramgiri N, Sryjeyanthan J, Yang J, McGeary JE, Yang J, Visscher P, Yang J, Knopik VS, Chesler E. Multi-omic and multi-species meta-analyses of nicotine consumption. Translational Psychiatry (2021)11:98. doi:10.1038/s41398-021-01231-y. PubMed PMID: 33542196; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7862377.

want to collab or have me consult?

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want to collab or have me consult? *

devi has a strong background in project incubation, organizational strategic development, community organizing, legal advocacy, research, policy, and technical assistance within gender-based violence prevention and intervention spaces. they have worked professionally within grassroots, statewide, and nationwide spaces, as well has have experience working across mainstream feminist and abolitionist feminist spaces. they have experience working under public (VAWA, OVW, state-allocated funds, etc.) and private grants (foundations & intermediaries), and have fundraising experience via private grants and crowdsourcing.

i am currently available for contract-based consultation. please fill out this form for me to consider your request. i don’t have the capacity to get back to everybody, but will respond to serious requests within 1-2 weeks.

serious requests: requests which include timeframe, fee range, and project description OR a completed RFP for review