PHOTO: REUTERS
Zayna* is one such example. Despite being beaten, humiliated and threatened for her sexuality throughout her formative years, she refused deny her inclination.
“On my 13th birthday I realised I was like this,” she told The Manchester Evening News. “Pakistani society is very conservative.”
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“I have seen so many LGBT people from Pakistan struggle and a lot of them don’t have the courage to come in front of the media. I want to be an activist. I have already published my story in Urdu on some Pakistani websites and I got a very bad response.”
Growing up in Karachi as the only child of a conservative family, Zayna recalls being beaten by her father when he was suspicious of her having relations with a boy when in fact she was spending time with another girl. “My father came upstairs and wanted to kill me and beat me like anything,” she said. “He told me how to behave. That was the first time I felt unsafe in my own home.”
“I am a strong brave person but so many people like me don’t have that courage. I realised I need to come out and tell everyone about my story," added the girl who described herself as tomboy while growing up.
Her father died when she was in her early 20s and mother developed lung cancer. At this time, Zayna was working at an Islamic University and was in a relationship with another teacher. At the time Zayna was also a PhD chemistry student.
When they were discovered, the two women were told to leave or else they would be reported to the police as prostitutes.
Zayna, who had not officially come out but suspected “everybody knew and hated her for it” then moved to the United Kingdom.
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Zayna took on three jobs, surviving on one meal a day, to save enough funds to travel to Britain; she is now living in Longsight. “At that time, I changed my name and would cover my face because I was scared. I didn’t want to show my face. I wanted to make myself normal.”
She eventually got a work permit and enrolled for a masters course in management. Zayna has since explored the UK’s gay culture and has been in several relationships, but says she faced discrimination against the LGBT community in the UK as well.
This article originally appeared on The Manchester Evening News.
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but if this culture is increasing at a drastic rate in pakistan especially in metropolitan cities like lahore and pakistan then why NGOs or media is not stepping up at this problem.we are always bold to speak on these issues in the veil of bollywood songs and provocative funny dialogues but the media ngos elite class students(both male and female) are always hesitant towards this issue.i was doing my internship in february and march and for the first time i was exposed to the society and i found that people are discussing these issues on funny basis.we are making memes on the boys who talk in feminine way during interviews given to journalists in aurat march.these issues are not new.i remember during the government of pml q in 2005 hadood ordinance was discussed and mqm ministers were removed from cabinet.these are sensitive issues.we always make fun on these issues.i was flabebergasted to see a video posted on youtube in which female students of punjab college were abusing themselves in a funny manner.