The Indian transgender woman who used her own struggles to help others

  • Lewis Rhys Jones spoke to Shash Appan

A trans woman who found herself homeless before settling in Cardiff has spoken about the struggles of being transgender and coming from a South Asian background.

Shash Appan co-founded Trans Aid Cymru after she said she did not feel accepted by her family when she came out as a trans woman.

She said:" I knew that it probably wouldn't go well, but I didn't expect it to go as badly as it did."

"I grew up in first generation immigrant Indian household and there was a pressure to integrate into the society and on top of having another pressure to preserve my culture."

"I was told: 'It's just Western stuff and you'll grow out of it'".

Shash came to Cardiff when she got got into Cardiff Metropolitan University.

However, battling dual identity was not easy for her.

Shash said," Stand by your trans friends and family, it will give them the courage to be themselves." Credit: TransAid Cymru

In an interview with ITV Wales, she said: "I was homeless for a while then I applied for University.

"I managed to get into Cardiff Met with whatever little I had and then I settled in Cardiff.

"I’m Welsh and I live here and I’m also Indian, it’s just how it is."

Shash also highlighted the hardships people coming from South Asian backgrounds face when coming to a foreign country.

She said: "I think South Asian culture especially when you move here (to a new country) there’s a want to hold onto our roots and it’s hard to break out of that."

Since Trans Aid Cymru was started in June 2020, they've offered help to trans, intersex and non-binary people in need of support and a safe space to talk.

A report called 'LGBT in Britain - Home and communities' said: "Half of BAME LGBT people (51%) face discrimination within the LGBT community."

Another report on hate crime and discrimination in the LGBT community published by Stonewall stated:"One in five LGBT people have experienced a hate crime or incident because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity in last 12 months."

Talking about how people can stop transphobic hate, Shash said: "Solidarity goes a long way." Credit: TransAid Cymru

Shash said: "Co-founding Trans Aid Cymru has been one of the best things I’ve done.

“For a long time I felt alone there has been LGBTQ group with people of colour specifically. It felt fractured as a trans community in Wales and I think I’m glad that we are able to feel unified in some way especially people who are very marginalised.

"That’s kept me going in a lot of ways and it makes me happy that I’m able to help people in financial duress and now I can save people in similar situation to mine."

Adding to how people can stop transphobic hate, she said: "Solidarity goes a long way."

Shash highlighted that TransAid Cymru is a "culmination of us trying to survive". Credit: Transaid Cymru

"If you stand by your trans friends and family, it will give them the courage to be themselves and understanding that they just want to be themselves.

"I think there is a lot of scare-mongering and there’s a lot of fear about trans people. Honestly, we’re struggling on such a base level, we’re struggling to eat, get a house and sleep, it’s the basic needs.

"It’s frustrating when we’re seen as inherently predatory in some fashion, when we’re constantly victimised and Trans Aid Cymru is a culmination of us trying to survive."

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