Transperson opens hotel in Thoothukudi

It was a big sigh of relief for the 26-year old transperson, Gayathri, a resident of Thalamuthunagar in the coastal town of Thoothukudi, as she fulfilled her lifelong goal of opening a small hotel in Saveriyarpuram. All smiles, she said that ‘Nangai’ her business initiative has earned her a status in society, where transgenders had no recognition. 

Gayathri said she was in relentless pursuit of a job to gain the respect of the society, but all her attempts went in vain as employers rejected her because she was a transperson. ‘So I decided to start my own business. But, paucity of funds, as they remained beyond reach, discouraged me from starting a business. However, the confidence I had in myself did not allow me to give up’, she said. 

Later, a petition representing the need for financial assistance to support self-employment was submitted to Thoothukudi Collector Sandeep Nanduri, who then handed over a cheque for Rs 20,000 through a social welfare scheme. Since this assistance was still inadequate to open the hotel, fellow transpersons contributed money to support her cause. “Since the transgender community have been on the margins of society for a long time now, they understood, and came together in solidarity to support me” she said.

Even after having gained sufficient funds to run the business, most were reluctant to rent their space out to her. At last, Selvaraman rented his space to set up the hotel at Saveriyarpuram main road. Sankar, Sub Inspector, Thalamuthunagar Police, was invited as the chief guest, and inaugurated the hotel in the presence of the transgender community. Subsequently, the police personnel were served breakfast in the hotel as well.