Over the years, the Kerala government has tried to ensure the inclusion of trans people in society and has rolled out various projects for the same. From reservations for students in colleges to the appointment of transmen and women in Kochi Metro, the government has worked to create an inclusive environment. Taking this message forward, a news channel in Kerala has decided to appoint a transwoman to their news desk. This is the first time a trans person has been hired by a Kerala news channel.

22-year-old Heidi Saadia has been hired as a broadband journalist trainee by the Kairali News channel. On Monday, she even made her first appearance on TV while doing a live report on Chandrayaan 2.

"In the morning when news about Chandrayaan came in, our desk chief asked me to get ready for a live report. Initially, I was surprised and a little nervous too. But then my colleagues and seniors on the desk encouraged me. So I did some background research and gave a live briefing. It was a great experience," Heidi told India Today TV.

Heidi's academic career has seen a lot of ups and downs over the years. After completing school, she joined a private medical college in Mangaluru for MBBS. However, her medical career was cut short due to ragging and discrimination from other students because of her gender. With hardly any support, even from her parents, Heidi dropped the course and shifted to Bengaluru.

"I joined the BA English literature course in IGNOU and survived by doing part-time jobs in Bengaluru. Even then, I hadn't recovered from the trauma of what happened to me in Mangaluru. The most disappointing thing was the reaction from my parents. They did not want to accept me the way I was. Later I underwent a sex reassignment surgery. In 2018, when the Trivandrum Press Club invited applications for common entrance test to their PG diploma programme, I applied for it. I got the 18th rank in the exam and got admission," says Heidi.

"Even though I completed my course with good marks, I found it really difficult to get an internship opportunity. Many channels rejected my internship application without citing any particular reason. Then finally Kairali TV gave me an opportunity. After going through my profile they even gave me an offer to join the channel as a trainee. I was more than happy to accept that offer and now here I am," Heidi concludes with a smile on her face.

John Brittas, Managing Director, Kairali TV says that it was part of their social responsibility to give opportunities for the people who are marginalised. "Already the government has taken a lot of efforts to bring trans people to the forefront. When Heidi's profile came up we just went through her qualifications. We found her suitable for the job and nothing stopped us from giving her an opportunity."

Kairali channel, managed by Malayalam Communication Limited is the first Malayalam channel which was established through crowdfunding.