Veena Sendre

Veena Sendre (born 1994) is a trans woman from Chhattisgarh. She worked with a non-governmental organisation and led a grassroots movement to push for gender equality. She was the first to win the Miss Trans Queen title in 2018.

Early life Sendre was born as a boy in Mandir Hasaud area of Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India. She was a drop out in Class 5 due to stigma at school and she realised her gender due to her feelings in the pre-teen years but was persuaded to rejoin the school again after a few years. She settled in Raipur, her native place, and became a transgender activist. She joined the Indian National Congress in 2019.

Career In 2018, she attended the Pride party.

Beauty pageant Sendre won the title of Trans Queen in the national level beauty contest held in Mumbai in 2018. She beat Namita Ammu of Tamil Nadu and Sanya Sood, in the final two rounds. Earlier, she won the Miss Chhattisgarh contest.