Kerala's first transgender beauty queen

KOCHI: Shyama Sanju has won Kerala's first transgender beauty pageant conducted by Kochi-based association for the transgender community, Dhwayah Arts and Charitable Society. Some 300 contestants took part in the auditions held in the first week of June, and the pageant saw 15 talented competitors from different parts of the state. Shyama said the victory was more important than anything she had done before. “It is not easy for people in Kerala to shed their traditional beliefs and accept the transgender and intersex community quickly. But with events like this, I hope to see gradual change.”