India just had its first trans beauty pageant.
The event was held in the south-western state of Kerala and was watched by several people including Kerala’s Health Minister KK Shailaja who spoke to The News Minute.
‘Transgender persons are still not fully included by the society. There are engineering graduates who were denied jobs just because of their identity.”
‘The Kerala government has done many things for transgender persons. We have launched a lot of schemes for them. And we will continue to develop a lot of schemes so that transgender persons can come into the mainstream fully.‘
‘We can together work towards it. Transgender persons should aim to complete their education, and the government will be with them at every step.’
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There were fifteen finalists overall, but the person who ended up winning and gaining the title of Queen of Dhwayah 2017 was Shyama.
There were several sections to the competition such as three fashion sections (one for gowns, one for Kerala ethnic wear, and one for designer sari outfits).
In addition, there was the traditional question and answer round.
Shyama answered the question of which gender for a child would she prefer if she would adopt by saying:
‘Compared to women, men harass transgender persons more, so I would like to adopt a boy and teach him how to respect transgender persons, and how they are equal to others. Let him grow up by learning to respect all equally.”
h/t: GayStarNews
