One of the most vulnerable and marginalised minority communities in Pakistan, transgender people, sometimes narrowly referred to as Khwaja Siras, have had a very different role and status in the society historically. Transgenders enjoy the least amount of respect or rights in Pakistan. Due to the repressive societal mindset, the subject of transgenders’ rights is not discussed in Pakistan. Most people do not even consider them as a part of their community. They are often rejected in almost all parts of Pakistan.

Transgenders and other members of the LGBT community are considered a sign of disgrace in the Pakistani culture. Most of these individuals never get a chance to acquire education in the regular schools due to the discriminatory treatment of fellow citizens. Consequently, most of these individuals have no other option but to make their living by singing and dancing alongside the road or in private parties. Additionally, transgenders are also not encouraged to live in close proximity to housing communities and, hence, are bound to establish their own colonies far away from these societies

There are several other issues faced by transgenders in Pakistan. There is no government aid or support system to help these individuals live a normal life. Government institutions and other governing bodies are widely known to harass these individuals. In the case of any criminal victimisation or even sexual harassment, these individuals expect no help or support from the community or government institutions. There are literally no job opportunities or financial security available to them due to which most members of the transgender community are forced to make their living by prostitution.

There are no records or official figures that can give details about their community. Unofficial sources estimate their number somewhere between 80,000 to 350,000-500,000 and believe that around 60-70,000 transgenders live in Karachi alone.

Back in 2012, the Supreme Court of Pakistan had issued a judgment stating that transgender individuals will have equal rights, as per the constitution, that include the right of inheritance and even the right to adopt any profession of their choice. We believe it to be a remarkable edict, but there is no support from civil society to date as the transgender community has failed to bargain for more rights. The SC had also announced a two percent quota for transgender individuals in all government and non-government departments, but sadly, even this was never materialised. Regardless of laws and fatwas that have been passed, this particular segment of our society is often subjected to hate crimes, insults, physical harassment, sexual abuse, psychological torture and murder.

In the past one year, 46 transgender individuals were killed while 300 suffered from varying forms of brutal harassment in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa alone. It is seriously a shame that our society has not yet accepted them. It is high time that we start treating them with the highest dignity.While we may love to see their dance at our wedding parties, we continue to despise them on the street. Are they not humans like us? I hope we accept them as they are in order to become an inclusive society, which is based on the ideals of humanity, peace and harmony.

Moreover, we need to break down the stereotypical male and female gender roles that have existed in our homes and public spheres for decades. By declassifying roles and behaviour, we can finally accept transgender individuals as a part of our society. We need to make people realise that gender roles are not genetic but instilled socially. The only way to break away from such perceptions is through changes in the way we perceive gender. The government can also help establish these ideals by implementing steps to recognise transgenders on job application forms and as a third option in the gender section on CNIC forms. Until hospitals and doctors do not give them precedence, their status in our intolerant society would remain the same. Until they do not have their own representatives in the parliament, no one would listen to them.

The writer is a Lahore-based social and political activist. Presently, he is linked with a humanitarian organisation working in Interior Sindh, and he can be reached at salmanali088@gmail.com