One of the most marginalised communities in the country
TURBAT: In Pakistan, most people do not give respect to transgender persons. The community is one of the most marginalised communities in the country.
Transgender people are just humans like us and have been provided with equal rights in our Constitution. But despite this we find many at the brink of survival because they are ostracised from society. In Pakistan even the people who take the Hippocratic Oath to save human lives are found to be refusing to treat them. There have been a number of incidents when transgender people were refused treatment by doctors at hospitals.
Though laws have been made to ensure that they are treated as equals in the country, their lack of implementation keeps the community from progressing. We, the so-called ‘normal’ people, also do little for them except pay lip service to their cause and feel sad for them in the comforts of our drawing rooms.
It is ironical that the community, which has been so tortured, does not criticise us, while we go on criticising them or poking fun at them.
The government and the people should support them in letter and in spirit. At the same time, the government — both federal and provincial — should take stringent actions against people who discriminate against transgender people or make fun of them.
Meher Nigar Ashraf
Published in The Express Tribune, November 11th, 2018.
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