Kerala to witness beauty pageant for transgenders

For the second consecutive year, Kerala will witness a beauty contest which will feature participants from the transgender community.

After the grand success in 2017, Dhwayah Arts and Charitable Society will organise their second beauty contest in Kerala's Kochi city on June 18.

Titled as 'Queen of Dhwayah 2018', the organisers hope the event will go a long way toward helping the transgender community merge with society at large.

"Today I feel so proud and happy to be a part of this event. This event will lift up the transgender community to international level and take us to a broader mainstream. Through this event, we can rightly say that 'we are all equal'," Sara Sekha, a contestant, told ANI.

"This is the second event organised by this charitable trust. I'm glad to be part of this as we wait for it the whole year. Through this event, all transgenders' life changes be it socially or professionally. It's a very good opportunity for us," added Sreemayi, another contestant.

Malayalam Superstar Mammootty will be the chief guest, while artists Jayasurya, Nadhiya, Rima Kallingal and Mamta Mohandas will also be attending the event.

'Queen of Dhwayah 2018' will see 15 finalists battle it out for the crown.

Celebrity make-up artist and actor Renju Renjimar, founded Dhwayah Arts and Charitable Society in 2017 to promote cultural activities among transgender, is the main organiser of the beauty pageant.

In last year's edition, Shyama was crowned 'Queen of Dhwaya 2017', at the first-ever professionally organised beauty pageant for transgender. She was also among the first students to receive a Centre for Continuing Education scholarship while she was studying for her Masters in Education last year.

Kerala is known to be a state that has taken a number of measures to promote the wellbeing of transgenders.

The state made history in April last year by organising the first-ever transgender sports meet in Thiruvananthapuram.

Prior to that, Kerala introduced the State Policy on Transgenders in 2015 and went to later launch the Centre for Continuing Education for providing educational scholarships to trans-people.