5 PAKISTANI TRANSGENDERS BREAKING STEREOTYPES
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The Khawaja Sira (Transgender) are one of those communities of Pakistan who have always being neglected. This neglected and scorned community is living in a small but closely knitted structure of “Guru-Chela” system. Due to the lack of acceptance and opportunities for trans, they indulge themselves in begging, dancing and prostitution. Despite of being neglected and demeaned, here are few examples of trans in Pakistan that are breaking away barriers and paving their own way towards success.
Kami Sid
Kami identifies herself as a transgender woman. She is the first transgender fashion model not only in Pakistan but in all Islamic countries around the world.
She is a core member of Youth Voices Count (YVC), a Bangkok base organization. She is also part of the provincial task force group working on the first “Transgender Protection Bill”. She has represented Pakistan and the LGBT community all around the world. She has also been nominated for US program of IVLP 2017. Kami has also been part of the Steering Committee of Asia Pacific Transgender Network.
She is currently running an organization named called Subrang society. Her work involves Trans advocacy and other minorities of Pakistan.
Farzana Jan
Farzana Jan is a transgender activist and working for the rights of transgender community in Pakistan. She is a head of transgender association chapter in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, known as “Shemale Association” which is working for the welfare of Khawaja Sira community in Pakistan.
Farzana left home when she was 13 and hasn’t seen her family for 23 years. She started to live with the transgender community, who she now considers family. There are 6,000 transgender people in Peshawar district alone. And in the last year and a half, 46 members of the community have been killed, and more than 300 harassed. There are reports of rape too.
“I use social media as a tool for sharing the miseries of my community while I also motivate the community to take a stand for their rights. One person can’t bring big changes unless we all stand united.”
Muhammad Amir Raza
“We are attributed as entertainers and I had to prove to the society that we, the transgender have equal rights and potential. We can adopt respectable occupation and status. That thought provoked me to do something for myself. I needed finances to start any income generating activity. I had no money and no sources of financing. Nobody either individual or institution showed willingness to finance me. However; later I heard about MOJAZ Foundation that provides finances to the entrepreneurs. I met with MOJAZ’s Micro-finance team, fulfilled the documentation formalities and finally I got the loan of Rs. 20,000/- on convenient monthly repayment schedule. I opened a small shop of Landa (secondhand goods). Now, I am living an independent and successful life.”
Like other entrepreneurs, Amir foresee an expansion of his shop with product extension. She has planned to start cosmetics business parallel to his existing Landa work.
Muhammad Nawaz Aliyas (Aashee)
Aashee, a transgender who is living in Lahore; own a large number of stitching garment units, operating from her home, where she and her team members take orders from different clients. At home, her family did not want to be associated with a transgender. At the boys’ school where she did her Matriculation, her class fellows subjected her to constant ridicule and abuse, and even the teachers would hold her responsible for the conflicts and advise her to “mend her ways.” Aashee also participated and completed her training from Punjab Vocational and Technical College (PVTC) under their project of soft skills training for transgender.
“Only a transgender can know the ordeal they have to go through throughout their lives,” she says.
Jannat Ali (Jennie)
Jannat Ali (Jennie) is an inspiration for the transgender community of Pakistan due to her immense number of accomplishments, despite facing harsh discrimination from society, jenny a gold medalist completed her MBA in HR and Marketing from University of Central Punjab. She is currently working as a project manager of “Khawaja Sira Society”. She is being the part of British Council, ACUMEN Management consultant, LAPS School systems and Velorium Inc. She is also a trained classical dancer, who was awarded with different dance awards and appreciation due to her brilliant dance performances.
