A Pakistani news channel has made history by hiring the country’s first transgender news anchor in a country where many transgender people face severe discrimination.

Marvia Malik, a former model and journalism graduate, told the BBC she cried when she was offered the job at private broadcaster Kohinoor, where she anchored her first show on Friday.

“The dream that I saw for myself, I was able to climb on the first stair to achieving it,” she said. “Our community should be treated equally and there must not be any gender discrimination. We should be given equal rights and be considered ordinary citizens, instead of third-gender.”

Transgender people in Pakistan often struggle to find employment, with many forced into begging, dancing or prostitution.

“My family knows I have modeled and they know that I work as a newscaster,” Malik said. “It’s the age of social media and there’s nothing that my family doesn’t know. But they have still disowned me.”

Speaking to news website Dawn, Malik said, “Everywhere we go, a transgender person is looked down upon. But there’s nothing we can’t do — we’re educated, have degrees, but no opportunities, no encouragement. This is what I want to change. Just as I created history in the fashion industry, I want to do the same in the media industry.

“The story of every transgender is the same whether they beg on the street or end up becoming the prime minister. We all suffer — our families disown us, beat us up. It’s the same for me. I worked really hard to be where I am — worked at parlors … did odd jobs, but refused to beg or dance.”

The owner of the TV station, Junaid Ansari, told VOA News the decision was made on merit and not to make a point about breaking taboos. “We had asked aspiring news presenters to come for the auditions,” he said.

“I got a call from one of my team members who said that one of the applicants was a transgender. They are human beings, too and they should be treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.

“I purely made the decision on the basis of treating all humans equally. The thought of challenging the social norms or breaking taboos did not even come to my mind.”

There are more than 10,000 transgender people in Pakistan, according to the 2017 census. The country’s Senate earlier this month voted in support of a bill protecting the rights of transgender people, allowing them to choose their own gender identity.

Social media users praised the move. “Still a long ways to go towards equality for all but this is encouraging and beautiful,” Muneeb Khan wrote on Twitter.