By Senior Research Reporter: Natasha Rai / T-Fare Online
Correspondence: gayfareonline@gmail.com Subject: NATASHA
TBC brings you a recap of GLBT news of 2010. From Beauty pageants to fashion world to international careers, Transsexuals have found their place and success worldwide in 2010.
In the airlines industry, PC Thai Airways has hired transsexuals as their flight attendants. The Trans flight attendants wear a special gold “Third gender name tag“ to let the passengers and immigration know their gender. Thanyarat Jirapatpakorn, winner of the Miss International Queen 2007 beauty pageant is one of these successful flight attendants. PC Thai Airways has truly set an example of being an equal opportunity employer and hopefully more Thai companies will follow suit.
In world news, popular US president Barack Obama has appointed a trans woman Amanda Simpson as a Senior Technical Advisor to the Department of Commerce and on the board of National Centre for transgender equality. She is an engineer, physicist and has extensive experience in the aerospace industry. Also in world news, Lea T, Brazilian supermodel from Givenchy’s fall ad campaign was born Leandro Cerezo, son of former Brazilian soccer star Tohnino Corezo, who has earlier walked the ramp as a male model. She is in the midst of sex transition surgery. Many transgender people have found their way in the Fashion world, but Lea is the first supermodel to make it to the world stage. French Vogue has featured Lea on its cover fully nude. Her beauty is being admired by none other than supermodel Gisele Bundchen and Transformers star Megan Fox who flatters herself as being a Tranny in disguise.
Rupaul, the life size transvestite in show business has been very successful with his TV shows Rupaul’s drag Race and Drag U. The season 2 of Rupaul’s drag race shows the winning of Tyra Sanchez, a Trans mother from Florida and the new season 3, has Raja with Indian background, leading the Race. The search of America’s next drag superstar combines creativity, charisma, expression and lip sync for the life. It’s the no 1 show on OUT TV today and it puts America’s next top model show to shame. 
In Nepal, closed to the gay rights until just few years ago, there are now Trans pageants, gay marriage and the first international gay parade was also held in August 2010. Hundreds of gays, lesbians and transgender folks marched in the capital in their proud colors celebrating their sexuality. Transgender people are becoming more vocal and visible to the media in this Himalayan nation. Meghna Lama won the Miss Transgender pageant that had the rounds of Hawaiian skirts, saris and interviews. The bikini is still a taboo in Nepal Pageant. The winner gets to travel to Thailand to participate in Tiffany’s Miss International Queen Pageant that brings the Trans beauties of the world to Pattaya. The winner of the 2010 Miss International Queen was Mini from Korea with Miss Japan first runner up and Miss USA 2nd runner up. In Dec 2009, India hosted its first Transgender Miss India Pageant in Chennai. Transgender from across the country came to contest to win the coveted crown. In addition to the grand prize, awards were also given to beautiful skin, hair and eyes. Kareena Shalini a model from Mumbai won to be the first Miss Trans India followed by Miss Manipur and Miss Chennai. The pageant was established to showcase the skills of the transgender and to address the problems of Trans misconception and discrimination in India.
In the film world, the Bollywood Brokeback Mountain "Dunno y Na Jaane Kyon” is releasing shortly and the highlight of the movie is a Trans dance performed by Indian drag queen Nary to Rekha Rao’s song “Atariya main raja re” that may put her on the list of top Item Queens of Bollywood. People who have seen her dance can’t stop praising her moves that could give Munni and Shelia ki Jawani a run for the money!
In Pakistan Supreme court has issued judgment and order to the Government and Police for equal civil rights for Transgenders and stop social discrimination against them. The transgender in Pakistan have suffered years of discriminations in the society and the harassment by the police. From the Moghul era, Trans genders have been dancing as courtesans till now as the lucky charms for Pakistani weddings. The time has come for them to be more than the wedding dancers and opt for a better life. One good news is that Begum Nawazish Ali is definitely ruling the airwaves in her hugely popular late night show in Pakistan.
TBC is proud to bring you the world Tranny news of 2010 and we will be bringing you more news and success stories of our trans community in 2011 in future. So stay tuned. This is Natasha Rai from TBC. Good night!!
