Meet Urooj Hussain whose story is an inspiration to trans community.

"If you support transgenders, they will come out of the closet more easily. We are the same as you, like any other human being," "People always think all transgenders just beg, clap and are sex workers. But this is far from the truth" 

These are the words straight from the heart of a trans-person who faced all that she had to for being what she is. Let's know about the life of urooj hussain who has emerged as a self-taught and self-inspired person now in a position to empower people from her community. 

Beginnings as Worse as The Teenage Confusion: 

What can be more troubling other than the question of gender in your growing up years? 27-year-old urooj who was born a biological boy noticed his inclination towards being a girl. This was something that couldn't be digested by Urooz's family. Hussain's father who is a strict disciplinarian didn't approve of his interests and his relatives bashed his habits and girlish behaviour. urooj wanted to play with toys and loved the company of girls. All this was controlled often by his father. Unable to withstand parental and societal pressures, urooj left home for Delhi in 2013. 

Discrimination at the Workplace: 

urooj hussain worked several jobs, got trained and served in the Hospitality industry, received industrial training and worked in related sectors. Everywhere she went, she faced discrimination. She was looked down on by her colleagues and other people around. "While I was working as an intern, I faced a lot of harassment at that workplace. People used to tease me there, which troubled me a lot as a result of which I got demoralized and started isolating myself thinking this was it. ", urooj painfully recalls. 

Picking Up the Broken Pieces: 

Urooz, whose self-confidence was totally down after all that she had to go through at her workplaces, understood that no one but her own self can help her stand again. She then gained her confidence up and decided to start her own business. She opened her own restaurant and made sure that it's inclusive and welcoming irrespective of any differences. 

"I gathered myself together and started my own restaurant."

This 27-year-old transwoman from Bihar opened a cafe called "Street Temptation" in Uttar Pradesh's Noida at Hussain had also mentioned that she is also the co-founder of 'I Love Noida', which is the first selfie point in Delhi-NCR and Uttar Pradesh as well. "The cafe is harassment-free for all genders; they don't have to face what I have been through. It is to make my parents proud for having me," Hussain said. Though urooj faced immense problem running the cafe during the lockdown, she could continue the restaurant business all with her will. She took back the money she paid the doctors for her surgery and ran the restaurant along with helping the sex workers and their children during the pandemic.

A Helping Hand: 

urooj says that if any trans persons are in need of a job, they can come to her restaurant without hesitation. She says that they will get to work in the most comfortable, inclusive and safe environment free from insults and harassment. She says that not all transgender people beg and not all are sex workers. Given opportunities, she says, that transgender people can do anything like the normal people. 

Self-made life of urooj is definitely an inspiration to everyone in her community. May the community become empowered and sustaining.

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