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Meet Zara Sheikha, the first transgender person from Kerala to get a job in an MNC

Meet Zara Sheikha, the first transgender person from Kerala to get a job in an MNC

Tuesday May 30, 2017 , 3 min Read

Zara Sheikha, a 27-year-old transgender woman becomes the first ever transgender person in the state of Kerala to acquire a job in a multi-national company. This adds to the list of multiple progressive things the state of Kerala has been witnessing with respect to the welfare of transgenders and their rights.

Image source: Vagabomb

After receiving a B.Sc in Botany from Kerala University, Zara took up several jobs in Chennai and Abu Dhabi at the Human Resource departments of different companies. She also worked as a Quality Analyst with Sutherland Global Services in Chennai. Right now, she got hired by UST Global.

Speaking with The News Minute, Zara said,

After I returned from Abu Dhabi in August 2016, I attended many interviews in various firms. Though I could clear the interview nobody was ready to accommodate me as a transgender. I was done pretending to be male, so I wanted to work somewhere, which accepted me as I am. That is how my friend Prajit helped me get a job in UST Global. They said they were ready to give me a job if I passed three rounds of interview.
The company was ready to offer me a job accepting my transgender status. It was my colleagues’ behaviour that surprised me. When I went to the office the first day, I had a sinking feeling as to how others would look at me. Breaking all those pre-conceived notions, they were happy to accommodate me and they all respected my identity. The company also informed me that I could use the ladies washroom and toilets, which according to me is a great acceptance.

 

After a series of abuses and struggles, Zara is finally happy that her dream has come true. She went through a lot of physical and emotional pain when people harassed her and called her names. Zara has been away from her family for the past few years as it was not willing to accept her identity, the way she was.

According to Quint, Zara said,

Wherever I worked earlier, I had hidden my identity. I went to school, college and workplaces as a male, which I was actually not. Though I had hidden my identity, people were able to perceive the behavioral differences and they used to harass and taunt me a lot. I would not like to remember the bitter experiences of the past.

Only two years ago Zara tried to reveal her actual identity. She actually contributed to various pro-transgender organisations before deciding to live her life completely as a transgender. Speaking about how ahead the state of Kerala is with respect to transgender welfare, Zara told The News Minute,

Transgender police, schools, Metro Rail appointments, every new move is a hope for us and I am so happy about it. Let my job also set an example for other companies and make them accommodate transgender people. I am sure within a few years, the transgender community will be in the mainstream, at least in Kerala,

Summing it up and signing off, she said, "Now I have a good job. I will have a peaceful life too, I dream that all in my community have a better life."

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