This beauty pageant in northeast India celebrates transgender life, creative expression

euronews.com:

Anilya Boro may not have won the crown at India's Miss Trans NE pageant this year, but competing while having her parents there to support her was a validation in its own right. "I must prove to my parents that I can do something as a girl," said the 22-year-old. "I didn't win a title, but I am very happy that my parents were at the show to support me.

Now they have accepted my decision to live as a girl and undergo surgery, but they don't want me to rush through."Twenty transgender women walked on a stage dressed as ethnic and tribal characters in the beauty pageant, drawing rounds of applause from the audience.

The contestants came from India's eight remote northeastern states, some of them nestled in the Himalayas in a relatively undeveloped region known for its stunning natural vistas.The event on Wednesday promoted the beauty and uniqueness of the northeastern region and community pride to uplift the transgender community, said Ajan Akash Barauah, the organiser.It was not easy to hold the show with no corporate funding.

Barauah turned to friends and organisations supporting the transgender cause to finance the pageant.Sexual minorities across India have gained a degree of acceptance, especially in big cities, and transgender people were guaranteed equal rights as a third gender in 2014.But prejudice persists, and the community continues to face discrimination and rejection by their families.