With education and employment, Born2Win NGO brings transgender persons into the mainstream

When Gowthami B came out to her family as transgender, she had their full support —something uncommon among transgender persons in India. However, after completing her BCom, she struggled for two years to find a job because workplaces in the country are still not progressive. 

“My story isn’t different from any other trans person looking to get employed. I was qualified and the interviews would go well, but I would never hear back from the organisation,” the 27-year-old from Chennai tells SocialStory. “Some would plainly tell me it is too ambitious for someone of my gender identity to fit into the workplace.”

Gowthami’s luck changed when she met trans activist and social worker Swetha Sudhakar one-and-a-half years ago. Over the last ten years, Sudhakar has placed 120 transpersons in sectors such as banking, IT, hospitality and development through her NGO Born2Win.

In less than a month after meeting Swetha, Gowthami joined Standard Chartered as a coordinator in the department of facilities. “Swetha’s job is that of a mediator between candidates like me and organisations that are hiring. She has a keen eye for skills and qualifications, and the jobs that will benefit from them. Her network with various corporate organisations makes this process simpler,” says Gowthami.

Uplifting the community 

Swetha grew up in Chennai and aced school. She loved dressing up, wearing makeup and dancing—all of which she could freely do on the school stage. She even won several accolades. “Dancing was my disguise as well as true expression. Everything I couldn’t be otherwise, I was able to do when I danced, and people appreciated it,” she recalls.  

But when she entered college, her femininity became a matter of ridicule. She dropped out and joined an NGO working with persons living with HIV as an outreach worker for its AIDS prevention awareness intervention programme. 

“I made Rs 1,300 a month and went to beaches, parks, and other public spaces to talk to the public about safe sex and sexual health. I picked places where the trans community commonly engaged in the sex trade,” says Swetha.

While working with the NGO, she finished  BA in Public Administration and MA in Sociology through correspondence, before getting trained as a counsellor and working her way up to become a community trainer in the organisation.

In February 2013, Swetha started and registered Born2Win as an NGO. Eexactly two months later, on April 15—National Transgender Day, she launched the Trans Achievers Award, recognising pioneers from the community in the fields of law, politics, medicine, and entrepreneurship. The award celebrates people from the community who come from humble backgrounds and inspire others with their success stories.

“While on the one hand, we wanted to spur young people from the trans community to study and find jobs with our support, we also wanted to demonstrate to them what nurturing such ambitions could do to their life and their self-esteem,” says Swetha. As a natural extension to this, Swetha runs a show on YouTube interviewing many of these trans pioneers in various fields.

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In 2015, she launched Ms Trans Queen pageant as a platform for transwomen in Tamil Nadu to dress up the way they want and express themselves. The pageant is backed by LIC, Medimix, and Naturals Salon. Every year, Swetha also releases and sells a calendar of trans achievers, which brings in revenue for Born2Win apart from donations.  

Many young trans persons from small towns and villages often can’t take up jobs after fleeing home, facing stigma and inequity. Many turn to sex work as they have little support to fall back on, Swetha says. “This happens after they join the larger trans community as well.” 

To support these individuals, Swetha runs a free shelter in Chennai where they can stay, are trained in computer science, and receive guidance in finishing school and college—with the ultimate goal of finding jobs. She also carries out corporate training with companies to hire transpersons.

“Our training with HR departments is centred on sensitising them, preempting the challenges trans employees may face in the organisation, and building awareness among staff while strengthening the company’s anti-discrimination policies,” she notes. Swetha and her team follow up with employees for three months after they have joined work to help them settle in. 

An HR official from Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated (JLL), a global commercial real estate services company that hired two transmen, says a structured way into diversifying their workforce with help from NGOS such as Born2Win makes the process seamless. “By working with Swetha and her team, we became well-prepared to not just hire but also address the grievances of our trans employees better. While we always had the intent to hire people from different gender identities, an engagement with community members helped us do this effectively and sustain it,” he says. 

However, experiences with placements have been bittersweet, she tells SocialStory.

“We see promotions getting delayed, contracts not getting renewed on time, and bullying by fellow workers,” Swetha says. “I would like to think of our vision as a work in progress and in time, we can bring changes to the whole ecosystem.”           

But despite challenges, Born2Win has improved the lives of many transpersons in a way that can bring long-term change in the employment landscape. 

R Reshma, who fled to Chennai from Vellore after being ostracised by her family, is now a 27-year-old banker thanks to Swetha’s support.  

“When I came to Chennai, my life took a turn for the worse as men in my neighbourhood began sexually abusing me and I had no network or self-confidence to find a job,” says Reshma. “But now, I have 120 people working under me and every time I meet other young trans people, I am able to help them find jobs too. But most importantly, I let them know they have everything they need in them to live like anyone else, and a support system outside to take them there.”