No schemes for the transgender community

The new budget only excludes us further, says Bindiya Rana

KARACHI: It is no secret that transgender persons in Pakistan are largely underprivileged, marginalised and often the victims of violence. Little is done by the state to alleviate their living conditions, and now with the new provincial budget, the community has been pushed into further exclusion.

Akin to the federal government, the Sindh government did not allocate any funds or schemes for the welfare and prosperity of the transgender community in the new fiscal year.

Speaking on the “unjust behaviour of the government”, transgender persons have voiced their concerns, saying that the new budget is not “public-friendly.”

“We spend a considerable amount of our incomes to purchase makeup items,” Bindiya Rana, the President for Gender Interactive Alliance (GIA) told The Express Tribune. “With the new budget, the price of cosmetics has gone sky-high. How will we adorn ourselves now?”
As trivial as it may sound, Rana said that beautification is necessary for transgender persons who primarily earn their living through singing and dancing at festive events, for which they have to properly dress up.

Rana explained that their community members have to put on makeup on a near-daily basis. Before the budget was announced, one person used to spend Rs1,000, on average, to purchase foundation, face powder, blush, mascara, and lipsticks. Given the new budget, however, the estimated price will increase to Rs1,500 per month.
“The government does not offer us jobs, so we are left with no other choice but to earn a living through singing and dancing. If nothing else, they [the government] should offer us cheap cosmetics.”

Rana also added that the transgender community across the country was expecting Prime Minister Imran Khan and Pakistan Peoples Party Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to direct the federal and Sindh governments to allocate a project or scheme for the betterment of the transgender community in the new fiscal year budget. Regrettably, however, both the government neglected the needs of the community.
“As per usual, the government forgot that we exist,” Rana lamented.

She further shared that instead of assigning a gender to transgender individuals, the federal government determines community members with an "x" sign on their Computerised National Identity Cards (CNICs).

"The government assigned an "x" to us as a form of identity but they forgot that we are human beings. Therefore, they did nothing to pull us out of our plight,” she said.

Rana added that neither the federal nor the provincial government fix a quota for the transgender community in government institutions. She bewailed that private institutions are unwilling to employ them as well.

“Looking for a means of livelihood is our biggest concern. If we don’t end up singing and dancing, how will we sustain ourselves?” she asked.

Rana also pointed out that the government must come up with a legal framework to ensure that transgender persons get their right of inheritance and can travel to other countries without undergoing any trouble.

“There is need for new legislation to include transgender persons, who often face problems in performing Hajj or Umrah, or travelling abroad due to the ‘x’ sign assigned to them on their ID cards and passports,” said Rana. “We demand that the federal and provincial governments immediately resolve our issues because we are citizens of Pakistan and are entitled to equal rights.”

Bindiya Rana also said that the public - which is already struggling with inflation and unemployment - has now stopped inviting transgender persons to their festive events. The move has drastically affected transgender persons’ already meagre monthly income.

She informed The Express Tribune that there are nearly 15,000 transgender persons living in Karachi, a majority of whom reside in Bilal Colony, Kemari, Mehmoodabad, and Bizerta Lines, and other impoverished areas.
Many transgender persons are vulnerable to starvation due to limited jobs opportunities. Therefore, they are forced to begging or sex work.

“If the government devises an all-inclusive strategy to resolve the issues of the transgender community by providing education and vocational training to us, we can also live respectable lives like our fellow Pakistanis,” concluded Rana.