Trans people on the far fringes of immunisation
As health experts sound the alarm for an impending fourth wave, the government too appears to have augmented its efforts to effectively immunise the city of 20 million in due time.
Vaccine shortages have been amended while hundreds of inoculation points have been set up across the city, with the inclusion of a 24-hour mega centre. All but to encourage the population of Karachi to get their jabs before it’s too little too late.
Yet however, a significant portion of the megacity’s population believes that it has been kept on the far fringes of the immunisation programmes, with no facilities rendered to them like others in the city.
According to Gender Interactive Alliance (GIA) Executive Director Bindiya Rana, Karachi’s transgender community feels that the vaccination programme, like any other government service, has once again failed to consider the gender minority and limitations.
The most pertinent issue, Rana claims, is the lack of exclusive counters for transgender persons at most government inoculation centres. Unlike the mega-centre at Karachi’s Expo Centre, other smaller vaccination points usually require people to queue according to their gender, in order to be jabbed. “There are counters for ladies and counters for gents, but what about the transgender people?” questioned the GIA executive director. “If we stand with the men, they harass us. If we stand next to women, they feel uncomfortable and treat us with contempt. Which is why a majority of transgender people feel intimidated by the thought of lining up at vaccination centres,” she added.
Read more: Transgender community wades through troubled waters
Shahnaz, who recently got vaccinated at a government facility in Karachi’s central district said that she had to dress as a man to get her anti-coronavirus shot. The 34-year old, who identifies as a transgender woman and wears a full face of makeup when going out on most days, felt that revealing her identity would have made her the subject of unwarranted bullying and harassment at the vaccination centre. Shahnaz, whose national identity card mentions her birth name and an X in place of gender, thought that she had no other option but to assimilate in the disguise of a man. “It felt humiliating, but I was scared of how people may react to me. So I put on a gents’ shalwar kamiz and queued by the men’s counter for my vaccine,” she told lamentingly.
Another dilemma that stands between Karachi’s transgender population and inoculation, is the financial impact of Covid-19 on local khawaja siras. Many in the community who previously made a living out of singing and dancing at weddings and other functions, were left on their beam-ends during government restrictions that headlined the last two years.
As the province cheerily moves towards resuming some form of normalcy, Khawaja siras worst affected by the financial impact of Covid-19 believe earning a living is their first priority at the moment. “Although all everything appears to be normal now but people are still reluctant to invite us to their events thinking we’ll bring the virus into their house. So currently, we have no other option but make our ends meet by begging on the streets, where every minute counts,” told Sitara, a 27-year old transgender woman from Karachi’s Mujahid Colony.
Adding to which, Hina, another transgender woman from the same neighbourhood, maintained that for her community begging on the streets too doesn’t come for free. “We rely on makeup to live our truth and cosmetic prices have been climbing every day. We can’t go out and beg if we don’t look our best. So in these situations, we cannot afford to waste a day of earning only to be ridiculed at the vaccination centre,” she remarked.
Addressing the concern, GIA Executive Director Bindiya Rana, on behalf of her community, expressed the need to establish separate vaccination centres for her people. “It will be much easier for us if there is a government hospital dedicated to immunising transgender persons. If not that, then the government should set up dedicated counters for us,” she urged.
In regard to which, Sindh Chief Minister’s Advisor Waqar Mehdi assured the gender minority that he will talk to the provincial chief minister about their vaccination concerns. The transgender community, he affirmed, is as much a part of our society as anyone else. “The Sindh government is committed to taking further steps for their welfare,” he told The Express Tribune.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 9th, 2021.