Do it Independently or Die; Self-help Movement of Transgender Women Community
Editor
26 September 2022 22:59 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The transgender women community moves independently as they are often excluded from government programs.
ARUMCE Mariska looked happy to tell the progress of her shibori business. “Now, it’s getting overwhelmed,” said the trans woman from Yogyakarta when met at the Secretariat of the Yogyakarta Transgender Family Foundation (Kebaya), Tuesday, August 30.
Shibori is a traditional dyeing technique from Japan. It is almost similar to the tie-dye technique, locally known as jumputan, as it combines the tying and dyeing techniques. What makes it different is that shibori is much more complicated as it uses knots and squeezing techniques to produce the pattern the crafter wants.
Four years ago, Arumce and her sibling transformed her house in Ngampilan, Yogyakarta, to be a shibori workshop. Arumce, who used to work as a makeup artist and salon worker, now is the owner of Arumce Collection, a trademark of her shibori business.
But then the Covid-19 pandemic struck. Arumce was confused as her business saw fewer orders. The trans woman who was born named Aris Widodo could now only sell her products online due to the public mobility restriction. Meanwhile, it was not easy to promote the business on the internet as the prospective buyers would not see the products in real life. So, Arumce was dependent on her friendship networks to sell her shibori products.
Now, as the government loosened the public mobility restriction, the operation of Arumce Collection starts to return to normal. Arumce even adds a variety of her products, which is natural fiber cloth dyed with eco print technique, as part of her business development.
The business keeps growing after Arumce joined the Waria Kingkit Credit Union, a cooperative established by the Yogyakarta Transgender Family. From the shibori business, Arumce can make an average income of Rp2 million per month. Every month, the 46-year-old trans woman deposits Rp50,000 in savings and Rp150,000 in stock deposits to the Waria Kingkit Credit Union. She also pays Rp10,000 per month for the funding of community development - this aspect distinguishes credit unions from cooperatives.
It has been almost a year since Arumce and eight other trans women joined the Waria Kingkit Credit Union. “It’s really helpful, in helping us to add business capital,” said Arumce.
On that Tuesday, Arumce and dozens of other trans women gathered at the Kebaya Foundation Secretariat, discussing the legalization of the cooperatives. A staff of the Yogyakarta Cooperatives and SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) Department was present to help them record the documents submitted by the trans women community.
Jeny, a Business Staff member at Kebaya Foundation, participated in the gathering. Unlike Arumce who was born in Yogyakarta, Jeny is from Subang, West Java. It has been two decades since she was expelled from her family who rejected Nendi—Jeny's birth name—for changing his gender identity.
Jeny also joined the cooperatives. The 39-year-old trans woman used to be homeless and lived as a street singer in Yogyakarta. She is now developing her bag and wallet crafts business. She cuts the fabric and sews it into bags at her boarding house in Sleman. Many orders come from community networks in the Netherlands. "Some of the capital I collect from the savings," said Jeny.