“We’ve spent night on the footpath or sometimes under the bridge in one of Maharashtra’s stations as we had no other place to go. At times when I woke up in the middle of the night, I had to face the sight of people looking down on me, men gawking at me,” Zoya Lobo huffs as she talks about her life before attaining the mark of being India’s first transgender photojournalist.
A resident of Bandra West in Maharashtra’s Mumbai, Zoya Thomas Lobo has beaten the odds to become the country’s first trans freelance photojournalist. From seeking alms in Mumbai trains for more than a decade, working in a decoration line, moving on to work in a nursery, to clicking pictures for major national and local publications, Lobo has become a breathing testament to changing dreams into reality.
Though many national and international media outlets have recognised her work, Lobo is still struggling to secure a full-time job as a photojournalist, turning her passion into employment. She, however, does not get adequate compensation from the print publication she is currently freelancing for. “I have got a lot of exposure, and I intend to learn more.” She looks forward to better opportunities and hopes to get real-time experiences and bring out stories of people through her photography.
News Source : The Better India
