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Journalism of Courage
It has been a week since Starbucks India released its ad, promoting trans-inclusivity with the caption “#ItStartsWithYourName”, which has faced intense scrutiny from netizens. Even as views are divided on the topic, over the last 15 months, Mumbai has witnessed opening of at least two cafes that embody the message of inclusivity and serve as safe spaces for all, without any judgements or biases.
Started in August 2022, The Trans Cafe (TTC) is Mumbai’s first cafe which is run by a trans-woman named Zainab Patel. Located in Andheri (West), the cafe’s entire supply chain, from its vendors to servers, belong either to the Trans or Queer community. Its motto is to serve good and clean food with utmost respect to the customer. “We initially started off as a normal cafe but after learning more about this locality, we understood that the locals here were mostly labourers who craved a home-cooked meal at an affordable price. From then on, we started serving only veg thali at Rs 60,” says Mohini, a trans-woman who works as a manager at TTC.
“The cafe had a rocky start,” admits Patel. “Our landlord was skeptical about renting us this place, his bias towards us was mostly because we belonged to the transgender community with no background in business,” she adds. But eventually, the cafe was set up with the help of the Rotary Club of Mumbai Queens Necklace. Currently, seven transgenders are employed and have acquired cooking and service skills. Patel now aspires to open 15 more such cafes across India.
The other is Bambai Nazariya, a cozy Irani-style cafe that has also recruited people from the transgender community as staff members. Started by Diego Miranda in January 2022, Nazariya’s aim is to build a “community” of people, especially for the ones who belong to the marginalised sections of society. “I had envisioned this cafe eight years ago, this has been my ultimate dream,” says Miranda.
When asked as to what inspired him to create an inclusive space, he says, “My dad used to interact with the transgender community a lot, I remember he used to sit every day, with tea in one hand and newspaper in other, reading the news out loud for people from the trans-community, in an attempt to make them aware about the current issues.” Miranda learned the value of hospitality from his mother: “The one learning that I have carried with me for years is if the food doesn’t discriminate, why should we?” he says.
Miranda has worked closely with the Humsafar Trust, an NGO that works for the Queer community of Mumbai, to assist him in the employment process. Recently, the cafe has also partnered with JinShiksha, a training centre for people with special needs, and has given employment to two persons who were treated for autism.
When asked about their views on the recent Starbucks India ad, both owners were supportive of the ad but also hoped inclusivity is not just preached but practised as well.
“I was in the review team so the ad was screened for our employees before it was released and we did not have any objection to it,” Patel says.
“But at the same time we would appreciate if such brands give employment to more of us,” she adds. Miranda too shared similar views, “We are all in for this message but it would be nice to see Starbucks employ people from the trans-community as well.”
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