For Jaison Joshva, a 27-year-old transman and a graduate, life had been extremely difficult ever since he underwent a sex selection surgery a couple of years back. He had faced several job rejections and had been denied homes for rent due to his gender identity.

Battling all odds, today Mr. Joshva and his family, comprising his wife and two of his graduate transmen friends - Subin and Shakthiadhavan - are running a pushcart eatery, Mercury Chicken Stall, at Palanganatham in Madurai.

While Priya Babu, head of the Transgender Resource Centre, had sponsored the pushcart, SELCO Solar Light Private Limited had given a solar-panel powered light at a subsidy. “Through various sponsors, we have been arranging utensils for the eatery,” says Ms. Babu.

The lockdown had pushed the family into the brink of starvation. “Since the NGO I work for pays the salary once in four months, we were left with little income during the lockdown. Shakthiadhavan sold vegetables and tea to earn a meagre income. We survived mainly through provisions supplied by members of the transgender community,” says Mr. Joshva.

“Despite being graduates, we have not been able to get a job matching with their educational qualifications,” says Mr. Shakthiadhavan.

Recalling his first job after the surgery at a shop, Mr. Joshva says, “When the owners checked my Aadhar card details for paying my first month salary, they identified that I was a transman. So, they immediately asked me to resign from the job,” he says.

“Due to social stigma and lack of awareness on transmen, we have to disguise our identity to even rent a house,” says Mr. Shakthiadhavan.

“But, by starting our own eatery, we can work independently. Though we might not be able to earn higher profits, we can at least satiate our hunger through the eatery. We still have to take up other jobs to run our family,” says Mr. Joshva.

The stall, which started functioning from Wednesday, saw a good number of customer footfall, he adds. Mr. Joshva’s wife cooks mutton soup and chicken fry, which is sold at the eatery in the evenings. They are also planning to introduce idlis and dosas for breakfast.

“We have been humiliated and ostracised because of our gender identity. But, we believe that our hard work will yield results,” says Mr. Joshva.