Trust honours third gender achievers

From medical students and entrepreneurs to models and social activists, over 30 transgenders were felicitated at the programme organised by the Born2Win Social Welfare Trust. 

Jeeva Subramanian (28), who won the transgender actress award, had become famous with her dialogue in the movie Dharmadurai, wherein she expressed her fears of not getting a job due to the public’s lack of trust. 

Honoured to be recognised, she said that it is very rare that transgenders are appreciated for what they do. 

Stating that such a programme is being organised every year since 2013, Vaishnavi Ganesh, of the Trust that organised the programme, said, “Every year we have been calling transgenders from different places – largely from Tamil Nadu. We have also called people from Germany, Sri Lanka and Singapore and from other parts of the country as well. This year, we have only called transgenders from Tamil Nadu and Kerala, who were felicitated at the programme.”

“Through this, we are identifying people who have been able to overcome all odds and succeeded in alternatives other than sex work and begging, which are stereotypically associated with the transgender community. We felicitate so that transgenders have someone to look up to and they can know that there is more they can do with their lives and that there is someone to support them,” she added.