From rejection to empowerment: Tiruchy trans woman builds trust for community
TIRUCHY: When a young transgender law student arrived in Tiruchy with nowhere to stay, Riyana Suree opened her home. For another transgender woman struggling to find employment after her postgraduate degree, she found a sponsor for higher education.
Having experienced rejection herself, the 36-year-old has made it her mission to ensure others do not fight alone.
Born in Dindigul in 1990 and brought up in Tiruchy, Riyana began recognising herself as a girl at 12, though her journey as a transgender woman formally began in 2006. Acceptance within the family was gradual. Initially, she was not allowed to dress as a woman at family events. Her sister-in-law, Gayathri Lenin, played a key role in helping the family accept her identity.
Academically accomplished, Riyana completed her bachelor’s in physics at St Joseph’s College, Tiruchy and postgraduation at Jamal Mohamed College. She had won several dance competitions.
However, in 2013, after approaching two-three private firms including IT companies, she faced repeated rejections. She then joined the Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society (Tansacs) as an outreach worker at Rs 8,000 per month, continuing for over eight years while supplementing income through dance.
“Many people initially showed interest in joining my dance classes. But once they came to know that I was a transgender woman, several backed out,” she recalled. She also attempted TNPSC Group IV and railway recruitment exams.
An opportunity came in 2018 when a photographer spotted her Facebook photos and approached her for a shoot. The pictures gained attention, leading to modelling and pageants including Miss Trichy, Miss Koovagam, Miss Trans Queen India and Miss South India Trans, before winning Miss Universe Trans India 2023 in New Delhi. She now mentors contestants as national director.
She began Thiru Aval Trust in 2019, registered in 2022. During Covid-19, she distributed food to transgender persons. The trust now has around 30 transgender persons associated and works on education, livelihood and medical assistance.
The trust connects students with sponsors. S Sayeesha, 27, from Tiruchy, completed MSc, BEd and teacher training with sponsorship help but still struggles to find a private school job.
Riyana also offered her home to Joshka Jasmine, 30, from Thanjavur, who came to study at Government Law College, Tiruchy.
Joshka, who calls Riyana her ‘mummy’, and Sowmiya Shashu, 37, were recently honoured at the 2026 convocation — the first transgender graduates to receive the honour since the college’s establishment in 1980.”We have been demanding horizontal reservation for the past 15 years,” Joshka said.
The trust’s livelihood initiatives included running a restaurant from 2021 to 2023 employing five transgender persons, distributing surplus food, and providing medical assistance including for transgender persons living with HIV.
In association with Iravi Trust, Riyana is planning an LGBTQ-themed fashion runway in Tiruchy.”When I did not get an opportunity, I wanted to create one for someone else,” Riyana said.
