Where do transgender people stand?

Most say if there is a provision for them to contest, they are unaware and cannot afford campaign kitty or spotlight.

PESHAWAR:

Money, harassment, scattered support and, above all, a noticeable exclusion from the official local government election plan has left transgender persons unrepresented.

Twenty-five-year-old Khushboo knows money makes things move, after all “elections are a game of fortune which we cannot afford to play.” But, she said while talking to The Express Tribune at Khyber Super Market, “If we had reserved seats, we would have absolutely, certainly contested these elections.”

Even though the entire province has been running an election marathon, transgender people have been limited to following the action from the side-lines. Khushboo did the only bit left for her – she bought some party merchandise. A few Awami National Party badges and a red cap or two, but beyond that she says she has no interest.

Transgender people complain that without the support of political parties—parties which they say have done nothing for them—there is no way they can run to win. They say their population is too small to carry them to a victory on a general seat.

The elephant in the room remains: can transgender people even contest?

“Under the local government act, there are no reserved seats for transgender [people],” said Sohail Ahmad, the public relations officer of the election commission. “There was a box in the form which asked if the candidate is transgender, male or female,” he told The Express Tribune. However, a look at the nomination forms on the local government website did not yield any such results. And none of the transgender persons who spoke to The Express Tribune were aware of the procedure, if any, for them to participate in the polls which in their truest sense were meant to devolve power to most basic levels with all inclusivity.

Circling ordinary life

They may be in the hundreds, although limited to certain parts of the city such as Gulbahar or Saddar, but their representation is a matter which seems to have evaded local government authorities.

According to Khushboo, transgender people are constant targets of harassment by young men in the city. With such attitudes, they end up confining themselves to their suffocating apartments; something as public and as trust-based as elections is a far cry from their reality. “Beyond our wildest dreams,” she said.

“Let’s say we could participate, who would vote for us,” asked Zeba, who is a bit more public and active in society than the rest. “We are marginalised and few in numbers to support ourselves.” She added, “In such a situation, people of the city might not vote for us but might instead just make fun of us.”

The fight for their identity has taken decades – national identity cards now have an option of the “third gender”. Zeba added, “This is a very significant win for us and the next fight will be for our representation at every level.”

She said transgender people live across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa but “our votes are not registered as most of us still don’t have identity cards.” Zeba asked, “So why would we be enthusiastic about local government polls?”

The government first needs to accept transgender people as humans and provide them basic rights, said Zeba. “There is an uproar that women don’t get to vote, but no one has ever taken up the issue of our disenfranchisement,” she paused, before adding, “What happens when we don’t participate in elections – absolutely nothing.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 30^th, 2015.