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Naaz Joshi Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 29, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth31 December 1984

Age36 Years

BirthplaceNew Delhi

ProfessionTransgender International Beauty Queen; Trans Rights Activist; Motivational Speaker

NationalityIndian

Marital statusDivorced

FamilyAdopted daughters Manikarnika (2018) and Sharanaya Joshi (2020)

Naaz Joshi Biography

Naaz Joshi is an Indian transgender beauty queen, activist and speaker who has won multiple international pageant crowns and advocates for transgender and婦

Early life and background
Naaz Joshi was born Aizya Joshi on 31 December 1984 in New Delhi. Raised in a family with a Hindu Punjabi father and a Muslim mother, she experienced gender-related challenges from a young age. School years were difficult: teachers attempted to teach her to present as a boy, and classmates often mocked her. At seven she spent time living with relatives in Mumbai where household duties replaced formal schooling for a period.

Financial pressures led her to take on work while continuing her education. She helped at a roadside eatery during afternoons after attending school in the mornings, and later took jobs that included bar dancing to support her studies. During adolescence and early adulthood she faced severe personal trauma and discrimination, but also encountered members of the transgender community who helped her understand that others shared similar experiences.

Education
Naaz completed a foundation course at St. Joseph Academy and pursued design studies at Pearl Academy before studying knitwear design and technology at the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT). She also trained in aviation management at Frankfinn Institute and earned an MBA in International Marketing from the Institute of Management Technology, Hyderabad.

Career
Naaz built a multifaceted career as a transgender international beauty queen, rights activist and motivational speaker. Early in her post-graduate life she worked with former Member of Parliament Dr. Udit Raj on gender sensitisation efforts and carried out awareness work on constitutional rights and menstrual hygiene.

Her visibility increased after a photographer documented her life over the course of a year; images from that project were shown in an exhibition in Milan and helped bring her wider attention. In 2016 she became the first transgender woman to appear on the cover of Tehelka magazine. That year she was also named an ambassador for Miss United Nations.

Naaz has won numerous pageant titles on international stages. She took the Miss World Diversity crown in 2017 and retained related titles in subsequent years, and in 2018 she won Miss Trans Queen India. In August 2020 she won Miss Universe Diversity, competing online against contestants from multiple countries and focusing her platform on women’s safety. In 2021, during Pride month, she won the Empress Earth title in an online contest held because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Beyond pageants, she has worked on advertising campaigns, such as a 2019 campaign for Klaren sanitary pads, and served as a brand ambassador for Tritan Solutions Pvt Ltd.

Advocacy and public engagement
Naaz frequently speaks about transgender rights, employment, mental health and community support. She has discussed the psychological effects of hormone therapy and the need for improved employment opportunities for transgender people. She has presented at events including a TEDx in Mathura in 2019 and delivered speeches at institutions such as Lovely Professional University and Vellore Institute of Technology.

She has taken part in public demonstrations, including the Delhi Queer Pride rally in 2019, and has been active on social media, posting about community issues and public figures. Naaz has also been vocal about incidents of discrimination; in 2019 she raised concerns about a hotel allegedly cancelling a large booking after discovering the organiser’s gender.

Public profile
Naaz’s life story includes a highly publicised gender transition and sex reassignment surgery in 2013, a turning point she has described as affirming. Her public narrative has covered both achievements and hardships: from early abuse and survival work to professional discrimination in fashion and other fields, she has often spoken candidly about the struggles transgender people face and urged families to support their transgender children.

She has appeared on magazine covers, won international pageant crowns against cisgender competitors, and used those platforms to highlight the needs of her community. Naaz has also promoted menstrual hygiene and constitutional rights awareness and served as a public ambassador for causes related to women’s safety and transgender inclusion.

Personal life
Naaz has described herself as non-vegetarian and has a peacock feather tattoo on her back. She was married in May 2019; records indicate she is divorced. She is a mother by adoption: she adopted a daughter in 2018 named Manikarnika and adopted another girl in 2020 named Sharanaya Joshi, and has spoken about the joy of single motherhood.

Latest updates
During the COVID-19 pandemic Naaz remained active in advocacy, speaking about the crisis’s impact on transgender communities and the role of organisations providing relief. Online contests and events allowed her to continue competing and speaking internationally; her Empress Earth title was awarded in 2021 in an online format. She has expressed a desire to meet national leaders and continues to call for better societal acceptance and employment equity for transgender people.
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Recent Work

Miss Universe Diversity

Won the Miss Universe Diversity crown in August 2020, an online international pageant where she focused on women’s safety.

2020
Empress Earth

Won the Empress Earth title during Pride month in 2021 in an online contest held due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2021
Klaren Sanitary Pads campaign

Appeared in an advertising campaign for Klaren sanitary pads for Cian Agro Industries and Infrastructure Ltd in 2019.

2019
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Career Highlights

  1. First transgender woman to appear on the cover of Tehelka magazine (2016)
  2. Winner of Miss World Diversity (2017) and subsequent diversity pageant titles
  3. Miss Trans Queen India (2018)
  4. Brand ambassador and activist for transgender rights and women’s awareness campaigns
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Naaz Joshi born?

31 December 1984

What is Naaz Joshi known for?

Transgender International Beauty Queen; Trans Rights Activist; Motivational Speaker

What is Naaz Joshi’s marital status?

Divorced