MADURAI: The hallmark of most transgender community meetings is uncertainty over the future. But Transprenuer 2026, as the name suggests, was all about looking forward.
A first-of-its-kind meet to empower transgender entrepreneurs held in Madurai on Wednesday, reflected optimism, with the participants exuding confidence that said they have what it takes to gain economic self-reliance.
The meet, jointly organised by StartupTN and the Transgender Resource Centre, Madurai, brought together entrepreneurs from the community, saying they needed accessible loans, marketing support and institutional backing to build sustainable businesses.
Many participants shared the challenges they face in keeping their businesses running due to a lack of financial support or social stigma, but none of that seemed to dim their hope to become successful entrepreneurs.
“Though we earn less now, we sleep peacefully,” said a trans couple from Thoothukudi.
Trans woman Ammu, 34, and trans man Kavin, 34, have been running Kavin Anbu Old Scrap Shop for the past nine months and earn about Rs 25,000 a month.
“Earlier, I used to make Rs 2,000 a day begging. But it also came with humiliation and harassment,” Ammu said, recalling her past.
“People who once humiliated me in the same business, now treat me with dignity,” she said, her face brimming with pride.
“Today, when I go to collect vessels, shop owners treat me with respect and offer me a seat. I realise that if we are economically independent, we will earn respect,” said Ammu, who also sells fish once a week to meet her family’s needs.
What worries the couple, however, is the lack of government support. “I approached banks for a loan to improve my business, but none was ready to help. Even my repeated petitions to the Collector, seeking financial support, did not yield a positive result,” she said, adding that bank loans would help them establish a fish business with export potentials.
Forty-one-year-old Nila, a trans activist from Chennai, said she faced many challenges in establishing her food outlet, Pasi-6 Trans Kitchen, despite receiving support from business communities.
Nila alleged that she had been waiting for nearly three years for a seed loan of Rs 75,000 that was promised to her by the officials of the Tamil Nadu Rural Transformation Project (TNRTP), Chengalpattu.
A member of the Tamil Nadu Transgender Welfare Committee, Nila said she and other trans persons had submitted a proposal to Social Welfare Department officials in 2023, seeking Rs 2.5 lakh in financial assistance for each of six transgender self-help groups to start food businesses in six cities. However, their proposal was not approved.
“Government officials advised me to approach the TNRTP for a seed loan in 2023. Every time I approached them, they told me that my name was on the list, but no one sanctioned the loan,” she rued.
Despite the financial constraints, she works as a freelancer, supplying sandwiches and juice for business events and earning about Rs 9,000 per order. “If I get financial aid, I can run my business throughout the year,” she said.
Gunavathi, a trans woman in Dindigul, said she was struggling to run her traditional food business because of social stigma. “The first struggle was finding a shop. And when I managed to find one, other businesses in the area discouraged customers from coming to my shop,” she recalled.
Though Gunavathi suffered losses because of the hostile campaign, she said she was determined to fight back. “I recently put up a social media post, condemning those who humiliated me. After it went viral, people stopped stigmatising me,” she said, adding that her monthly earnings have now gone up to about Rs 15,000.
Nattranaiyaam, a natural food and snacks unit in Madurai run by Manam, a trans resource centre, and Akshya Bridge Studio and Space in Tiruvallur, run by trans woman Akshya, have sustained with the support of corporate social responsibility grants.
“We started Nattranaiyaam with an Omega CSR fund of Rs 2 lakh. We produce traditional food and snacks and have received good support from the community. But to scale up, we need technical, marketing and financial assistance,” said Priya Babu, managing director, Transgender Resource Centre.
In Akshya’s case, local women are regular customers. “When we planned to open a shop, no one was willing to rent us a space. After nearly two months of searching, one person agreed,” said trans woman Santhi, who helped Akshya secure corporate funding.
“Now, we have 200 women customers who visit regularly for facials and other beauty services,” Akshya said.
Priya Babu said nearly 100 trans persons and trans men running small businesses from across the State participated in the event. Many of them lacked the knowledge of the rules and regulations for starting a business, as well as technical know-how and marketing skills, she said.
“Initially, when we had set out to start businesses, nobody was there to help us. We want to establish a transgender entrepreneurship forum to help our community members set up businesses. Our only request to the government and corporates is to provide us financial support,” she added.