UP: Transwoman Turns Entrepreneur, Sets Up Her Own Cafe That Treats Everyone 'Equally'

Individuals from the transgender community have been taking over the non-conventional career paths not just to break the stereotype but also to empower the community. One such story is of a 27-year-old employee-turned-entrepreneur transwoman from Bihar.

Urooz Hussain set up her cafe named 'Street Temptation' in Uttar Pradesh's Noida at Sector 119. Describing the idea behind the cafe, she said that it was to inspire members from her community to work towards earning a dignified living. Urooz shared that she had experienced workplace harassment which led her to establish her own business to promote a culture of equality.

Speaking to ANI, the entrepreneur said, "I was subjected to harassment at my workplaces so I decided to start my own cafe that treats everyone equally. I hope this will inspire others from my community."

"I was born as a 'normal' child, as a boy, but later realised that even though I have a male body, my feelings are a like a girl which resulted in questioning about my identity in my teens. I faced a lot of difficulty in overcoming this situation. My male relatives used to bully me a lot. My father is strict, he had created a boundary within which I needed to behave as a boy. This was not okay with me. I used to play with dolls when I was young, used to interact more with girls than I did boys. So, I left my hometown in 2013 and shifted to Delhi and started my transition as a transwoman," Hussain said in a video interview with The Quint.

"People always think all transgenders just beg, clap and are sex workers. But this is far from truth," she stated.

Hussain further explained that she was subjected to harassment during her internship. She was made fun of and bullied by her colleagues which affected her confidence and morale, however, she decided not to give up on the face of adversity and took the step to start her own restaurant.

"During the lockdown, I faced financial difficulties to such an extent that I even had to think about selling my restaurant, but I had some savings which I had given to doctors for my surgery, I took that back and continued to run the restaurant," mentioned Hussain. She further added that any job-seeking transperson could approach to work at her restaurant and can work freely and happily without any discrimination or preconceived notions.

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