Trans Beauties from Nepal

Vancouver, Canada on Thursday, November 5, 2009
By Research Reporter: Natasha Rai / T-Fare Online
Correspondence: gayfareonline@gmail.com Subject: NATASHA

Nepalese Trans beauties AKA Metis have come a long way from struggling on the streets of Kathmandu to sashaying on the international beauty pageant ramps.

Reigning Miss Gay Nepal Sandhya Lama, who had won Miss Beauty and Brain contest Nepal in 2008 had been shortlisted among 25 qualified contestants out of 89international participants for Miss International queen pageant held in Thailand. She represented Nepal beautifully and told the world about the recent gay rights movement brought in Nepal. She works as HIV/AIDS councellor and she would like to serve the community by seeking to provide medical and old age home to third genders living with AIDS. Here is Sandhya Lama (#15)contesting in swimsuit portion of the pageant.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dIeQc1FoiU&NR=1

Anjali Lama, Akanchya Moktan and Bhumika Shrestha had represented Nepal for the first time in 2007 in this international pageant. Though they were mass favourite for their beauty and talents, they couldn’t win the crown as they lost in swimsuit and evening wear part of the pageant due to lack of breast implants and designer dresses. They lacked the sponsors and needed training for the pageant.

Recently, out of 300 women contestants, the only transgender Malaika Lama won the Lakme’s bridal makeup artistry contest in Nepal winning the first prize of Rs 50,000 cash and a makeup seminar in Lakme Salon, New Delhi. Besides being a freelance makeup artist, Malaika has been a volunteer and AIDs worker for Blue Diamond Society, Nepal and has attended International AIDs seminar in South Africa and Mexico. She has also danced to Nepalese tunes and mesmerized the audience with
her makeup and dance skills. Despite living in the conservative society, she worked hard to meet her dream goal and proved to all that success in life sees no gender.

The lifestyles of Metis from Nepal had been a roller coaster, full of struggles in order to survive and establish themselves. Thanks to Blue Diamond Society of Nepal, many t-girls are now getting opportunities to be themselves and and have respectable jobs, shelter and above all self independence. Many of them had left their home in early age and had to be sex workers and went through abuses before they found their new home in Blue Diamond Society (BDS) of Kathmandu. BDS an HIV/AIDS organization has employed them to work for its various AIDS and health projects. BDS also fought the legal battle for same sex marriage and GLBT rights in Nepal. Trans genders played an important part in this battle winning a place in the constitution.



BDS with world bank fund, organized Miss Gay Nepal pageant and gave them an opportunity to be contestants on a platform of beauty with brains. Now some of them are eyeing world beauty pageants like the ones in Thailand for their global recognition. I am confident that with time and dedication they will achieve their international dreams. Here is a slideshow link of these trans beauties:

http://www.viiphoto.com/detailStory3.php?news_id=899

Vow magazine Nepal had featured the trans beauties on its cover of May 2009 and had conducted interview of some of them and a report on their lifestyle, upbringing, hardship and success. These trans beauties have gone through a lot of hardship in school, family and society in general but they have stayed positive and worked their way up on the ladder of success and have established themselves in the conservative society of Nepal. Kudos to Vow for featuring them on its prestigious magazine thus offering them the visibility and recognition that they truly deserved.