After the annual Rainbow Pride March to spread awareness about the third gender, Kolkata is ready for its first-ever beauty pageant for transsexuals on Sunday.
The event is being organised by MANAS Bangla (a network of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender or LGBT community) and city-based
gay rights organisation Kolkata Rishta. Sunday’s winners will join contestants from other cities to the Miss India Beauty Queen contest.
The grand finale organised by Bhojiwood Films, the largest producer of Bhojhpuri cinema, will be held in New Delhi later this month.
Anish Roy Chowdhury of city-based LGBT rights organisation Ametié and one of the event promoters, said the motive behind the beauty pageant is to develop a platform for the LGBT community. “Despite various programmes throughout the year, our issue does not have as much visibility as it should,” he said.
Some city transsexuals feel that Miss Indian Beauty Queen could be the stepping-stone for them as the three winners could get a chance to participate in international pageants.