CHENNAI : The awardees of the sixth edition of the Trans* Achiever Awards 2018, conducted by Born2Win to mark National Tansgender Day, walked into the Rani Seethai Hall in vibrant saris. Individuals from different walks of life supported, appreciated and celebrated each other’s achievements. “Standing here today at the sixth year of the Trans* Achiever Awards, I feel extremely proud. I am happy that despite the discrimination that we have faced, we have successfully done this event for six consecutive years. I thank all those people who have supported me through this journey” said Swetha Sudhakar C, Born2Win Social Welfare Trust.
They have been working towards empowering the transgender community by providing education and employment opportunities. In this edition they recognised 19 members of the Trans* community who have achieved several milestones and accolades in their respective professions. Relatives and people who have been caring for, serving, and accepting these individuals were also awarded with a memento.
The winners were: Neela Amma (Lifetime Achievement Award); Maniammal (Lifetime Achievement Award); Raji Mariaathal (Lifetime Achievement Award); Tamilazhagi (Trans* Mother of the year 2018); N Ragini (Trans* Trailblazer of the year); AV Sivashri (Trans* Entrepreneur of the year); B Jeevan (Trans* Welfare Activist of the Year); Sri Devi (Trans* Social Empowerer of the year); S Jeeva Subramaniam (Trans* Cine Artist of the year); Roulin R Joy (Trans* Corporate Employee of the year); S Poongulali (Trans* Entrepreneur of the year); Varsha Sarah (Trans* Model of the year); S Tharika Baby (Trans* Student of the year); Dr Solu S (Trans* Physiotherapist of the year); Balaji Amma (Trans* Social worker of the year); Divyapriya and Sasikumar (Trans* Couple of the year); V Soniya (Trans* Social Activist of the year); C Anjana (Trans* Rising star of the year) and Riya Prabanjakumaran (Trans* Rising star of the year).
Neela Amma teared up as she said, “Back then, people used to throw stones at us. It was difficult to survive. Today, I’m happy to see these kids get better opportunities. And they have honoured me... I’m really happy.” Born2Win also presented the Trans* Ally Award 2018 to Tiruchi Siva, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, for introducing the Transgender Bill. Director Arun Prabhu was also recognised for the sensitive portrayal of a Trans* character in movies. The jury members for this year’s awards were Rohith Nathan, DCP, Law & Order; Sudha Ramalingam, Human rights activist; P Angeline, Income Tax Officer; J Prabhakar, founder, NDSO; Vinodhini Sudhindran, president, ANEW and Swetha Sudhakar.