Today, in our special column where we celebrate our amazing queeros of the community, we spoke to one such dedicated yet an astonishing personality, Ms. Sonali Khan (She/Her) from Tweet Foundation, Mumbai.

Hey Sonali, we hope you’re having a great time. Would you like to introduce yourself to our readers?

S : Yes sure. My name is Sonali and I am a highly motivated and dedicated individual who is passionate about making a positive impact in the world. I have been working in the field of social work for the past 5 years, specifically focusing on issues related to gender inclusivity and empowering trans individuals.

Five years into working towards empowering trans community itself sounds quite an interesting experience. Tell us about more about your profession and your organization.

S : As a Project Coordinator with TWEET Foundation, my role is mainly focused on helping trans people to get an awareness of why a career is important, helping them get enrolled in skill-building courses and training, and supporting them in placements in inclusive firms. I have been working with several organizations over the past 6 years and continuously upskilling myself with free online courses and learning from my peers. I am also the founder of Trans-Form social enterprise, which provides education and training on gender inclusivity with a focus on trans and non-binary individuals.

Wonderful! Career awareness is so important and we are happy to see that we all are striving hard to achieve that in various communities and individualities. Well, talking of achieving things, could you please share us some of your achievements till date?

S : I have completed several main components of the projects with TWEET Foundation, such as organization, coordination, logistics, and so many different main components were taken care of by me. For example, a Trans Employment Fair I have done outreach and placement as well as some part of operations and also helped with the TYLEAP project where we created manifestos for trans-youth inclusion in the workplace and a few skilling projects. After struggling so much, I have finally enrolled myself in a Bachelor’s course and am using my skill set and life experiences to support more trans people. My work with TWEET Foundation has enabled me to empower and transform the lives of many trans individuals. I have learned a lot and still have a long way to go.

Wow! That’s a quite a feat, Sonali! We are super proud of you. I’m sure your journey sounds very charismatic but the struggles may definitely not be so. In times of distress or dejection, who was that one person or a role model you looked up to?

S : My role model is myself. When I look back at myself and 5-6 years back, where was I and now where am I. It makes me feel very proud. The struggle and hard work is slowly paying off, and I’m able to help my community so no one has to go through what I have been. My resilience and hard work and never give up is something I’m very proud of. I fight for the rights and equality of the Transgender community. I believe that anyone who stands for the cause of social justice and equality can be an inspiration to others.

Sonali, we are utterly speechless and oh so happy to see your resilience and dedication towards your work and cause. Before you round up our conversation, is there a message you would wish to convey to the community?

S : Most transmen and transwomen in our country are structurally excluded from getting education and employment and are forced to get into work like sex work, begging, or daily wage work. My message to the community is that we need to come together to fight for our rights and create an inclusive society where everyone is accepted and valued. With the support of each other and the larger community, we can overcome the obstacles we face and achieve our goals. We should continue to upskill ourselves and take advantage of any opportunities that come our way to create a better future for ourselves and our community. Remember, we are all in this together.

Well, what more could be said? This was the super confident Ms. Sonali Khan for you, dear readers. Stay tuned for more such inspiring interviews on our unsung queeroes.