They have been abandoned, miss treated, not assimilated in the society for all these years, the transgender community is wanting to be recognized and respected. We take you through these rejected alleys which are craving to get accepted along with their biological deformities and sexual preferences.
Transgender is an umbrella term that describes people whose gender identity or expression does not match the sex they were assigned at birth. For example, a transgender person may identify as a woman despite having been born with male genitalia. Despite being a medical disorder of genes the children born with this condition are despised, laughed at and often left on their own at an early age after being abandoned by their families.
The Story of Courage
Ayeza Naaz Joshi, the first Indian transwoman to win the title of Ms World Diversity 2018 organised in Dubai says emphatically, “Why do parents abandon and let go of their children who are born with sex deformities. Certainly, they need more care and empathy rather than be jeered at.’’
Breaking barriers and fighting against all odds is also the first Indian transsexual woman to appear on the cover of a magazine and world’s first transwoman to endorse a sanitary napkin that goes by the name of Klaren. “After being abandoned at the age of six I forever wanted to prove my worth to my family. Fighting all odds to survive and to continue my primary education, I worked at a Dhaba. But my aspiration to grow and prove my mettle to my family and all those who treated me like a sex object got me to Delhi.’’
Fluent in her English & Hindi language skills Naaz is a NIFT graduate. Her journey in the institute was far from being smooth, apart from her fellow students even the faculty discriminated her, says Naaz.
She worked with fashion icons like Ritu Beri and Ritu Kumar. “After working for years with the two fashion labels I honed my skills as a designer but later quit for the same reasons of being made a laughing stock.” However, things changed for Naaz after she underwent sex reassignment surgery in 2013 and started her modeling career eventually. Currently, she is modelling, organizing events, and training girls for the world of fashion.
The best period of my life during the growing up years was when I was a bar dancer in Mumbai. I stayed well protected and felt cared for by the fellow dancers.’’
This story first appeared in the Print version of SUBURB September 2018 issue.
