It took Kamal’s family nearly 22 years to accept her transfeminine, or “hijra,” identity.
“As the only child and son, my parents had a lot of expectations for me to be the ‘man of the house,’” says 44-year-old Kamal, who lives near Mumbai, India. “Due to a lack of support from my family, I could not complete my education. I had to work as a bar dancer and sex worker to support myself.”
These were also the only places where she could express her true gender identity.
Then, in early 2023, Kamal joined the staff of the first beauty salon run by the transgender community in her district. Called Transformation, the salon opened its doors in Kalyan, a city just outside of Mumbai on the banks of Ulhas River.
This is the first time in her professional career, Kamal says, that she has felt safe and able to be herself.
Creating sustainable livelihood opportunities
Transformation Salon was established through the Meeting Targeting and Maintaining Epidemic Control (EpiC) project, which is led by FHI 360 and funded by PEPFAR and USAID.
EpiC partners with and strengthens the capacity of governments and community-based organizations to promote self-management of national HIV programs. EpiC works with hundreds of community-based organizations led by populations most affected by HIV. These organizations are uniquely positioned to design, deliver and evaluate HIV programs that meet the needs of their community.
Transformation is an example of how community-based organizations are developing sustainable and diversified funding models to fuel locally led contributions to countries’ HIV responses and reduce reliance on donor and government funding.
Earning their own revenue allows these community-based organizations to have more autonomy over how they spend their resources to meet community needs while also offering HIV services to populations who need them most.
To start the salon, Kinnar Asmita, a nonprofit that supports transgender people in and around Mumbai, partnered with EpiC. When EpiC connects organizations with the resources they need to start small businesses, people like Kamal can both earn money and make a difference in their communities.
Neeta Kene, the founder of Kinnar Asmita, says, “Until now, [Kinnar Asmita] has been dependent on funds given to us by the government. We always dreamt of having our own business.”
Members of Kinnar Asmita and the local trans community were involved in each step of establishing Transformation, where anyone, regardless of how they identify, can receive salon services. All the salon’s beauticians and hairstylists identify as part of the trans community.
Transformation staff provide hair, nail and makeup services and are considering adding laser hair removal. The business plans to bring in additional revenue by selling beauty products and offering courses and home-based beauty services.
“In Kalyan, we have created a social enterprise that is uplifting the transgender community and bridging community divides,” says Sumita Taneja, country representative for EpiC India. “This is an effort that will protect and improve many layers of health — financial, physical and mental.”
Opening safe and inclusive pathways
Transformation is not just about providing greater economic opportunities. It’s also about creating a safe and inclusive environment and bringing respect and dignity to the trans community.
At other salons, Kamal says, “sometimes [transgendered people] are charged double. Appointments are given late when a salon is about to close. Sometimes trans persons are turned away and told to come later.”
When Kamal applied to work at other beauty salons, before she started working at Transformation, her prospective employers insisted she dress as a man. She was told that customers wouldn’t be comfortable with a trans person working in the salon.
As the receptionist at Transformation, Kamal greets all customers as herself. She schedules appointments, explains service offerings, collects payments and promotes the salon. With EpiC’s support, she completed a beautician training course and can now provide beauty services to customers.
Kamal hopes this is just the beginning.
“I wish that many branches of Transformation open,” she says, “and that the trans community across Mumbai can access beauty services with the respect and dignity they deserve.”
All photos and video are credited to Anita Khemka for FHI 360.
The EpiC project, funded by PEPFAR and USAID, provides seed funding for business startups, as it did for Kinnar Asmita to start Transformation Salon. The salon is one of eight social enterprises in India that EpiC supported in 2023.
EpiC also provides incubation support to community-based organizations that are led by key and priority populations (groups of people who are at increased risk of HIV). This support includes coaching on business planning, financial modeling, and sales and marketing to enable enterprise development and growth.
For further reading, access the EpiC resource Financing the Future: A Primer on Sustainable Funding Models for Civil Society Organizations Supporting the HIV Response, or read more stories on the EpiC project blog.