KARACHI:
Respect and dignity are among the basic rights that every citizen in this country should have regardless of their gender. In order to ensure the rights of the transgender community, Pakistan had passed the most progressive bill in the Parliament in May 2018: The Transgender Protection (Protection of Rights) Act. The act is commendable for its nuance, range and clarity. Such an initiative is without a doubt a milestone for a conservative South Asian country like Pakistan.
It allows the citizens of Pakistan to self-identify their gender, bans discrimination in public places like schools and work places and aims to facilitate services like public transportation and medical facilities. Transgender people can now apply for a driving licence and passport; open bank accounts and receive financial services; and have the right to vote, run for office and inherit property. The transgender community has welcomed this legislation but is still rightly worried if it would be able to dismantle decades of stigma and prejudice against them. Traditionally, transgender people have been brutally lynched, killed, raped and marginalised. Even religious groups abstain from taking part in their last rites as it is deemed an “un-Islamic” practice.
We, as civilized citizens, must question our behaviour towards this minority group, because if we do not create a cohesive community where everyone is accepted, we cannot move forward and achieve prosperity. An ostracised minority cannot be effective in any which way if we continue to have a regressive mindset of gender non-conformity conflicting with transgender individuals.
Salma Tahir
Lahore
Published in The Express Tribune, March 23rd, 2021.
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