La Beauté & Style launched in Delhi in September as India’s first transgender owned and operated beauty salon. Trans celebrities Aryan Pasha and Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, both also well-known activists, started the business to provide much-needed employment for their community.
Bilal Khan reported in Gaylaxy Magazine that although exclusively staffed by transgender men and women, the salon will welcome everyone.
Lawyer Aryan Pasha became famous as India’s first transman bodybuilder. His parents allowed him to wear a boy’s uniform to school from second grade. Aryan then underwent gender confirmation surgery at 19. Although mainly interested in sociology he studied law at university to assist in his activism.
Aryan is engaged to transgender activist, choreographer and Bollywood actress Laxmi Narayan Tripathi. The couple operates a charity focused on the health and rights of male sex workers and others within the queer community.
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La Beauté & Style
Gaylaxy Magazine reported that 92% of transgender people face exclusion from India’s economy. The lack of acceptance from both society and families often sees them forced into sex work or begging. The first transgender owned and operated beauty salon will therefore help alleviate unemployment in the transgender community.
Aryan enlisted family friend, beautician Unnati Singh, to train the salon staff.
“She wants to do something for the community that is why she has been training the community people for free. So far she has trained five people.
“We are planning to open more salons like this one by one across India so that we can generate more employment for the community people. It will take time but we will accomplish it.”
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