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Today, the International Day of Solidarity with Transgender is being observed all over the world, including Pakistan. Since 2009, every year on March 31, International Transgender Day of Visibility is celebrated to raise awareness about the discrimination against transgender people and their contributions to society.
The community is an important part of cultures, but awareness of Trans’ issues is inadequate. The day also calls upon us to counter the transphobic social attitudes, biphobic and homophobic that inflict incredible harm on the lives of individuals across the world.
Who is Transgender?
Transgender is an umbrella term that explains people whose gender personality or expression does not match the sex they were assigned at birth. For example, a transgender person may identify as a woman despite having been born with male characteristics.
The term transgender is commonly used for third gender identification. A Trans is a man who is also endowed with innate feminine traits, while a Trans woman is a person who is also endowed with innate masculine traits.
Societal attitudes towards the community
Sadly, Trans persons are usually considered as a threat to cultural values by some people. The latter frequently try to rationalize inequity against Tran’s people as a means to defend their beliefs in the name of culture and tradition.
What is even more disgraceful is that this hatred is frequently codified into lawful statutes that stop trans people from exercising their fundamental human rights. In spite of how varied the beliefs, values and opinions of people are, culture and tradition cannot be used as a license to discriminate against anybody. Discrimination is a catastrophic attitude. Despite this, the Transgender community faces abuse, violence and abandonment due to rigid notions about heteronormativity.
To be singled out and bullied at home, school and college in the community for disobeying gender stereotypes is a viciousness that robs non-binary individuals of their basic right to live free and equal in distinction. Moreover, this inequity also impacts Trans people’s opportunities, and impels poverty, lack of social buttress systems and compromised health outcomes.
Steps to protect the community in Pakistan
According to unofficial statistics, there are tens of thousands of transgender community members in Pakistan. Pakistan’s 2017 census recorded about 10,000 transgender persons, although trans rights groups say the number could now be well over 300,000 in the country of 220 million.
For the first time in the history of Pakistan, the transgender community was able to get rights as the PTI government provides several opportunities, including legislation to protect their rights, right to get driver licenses, health cards education facilities, government job opportunities and others to uplift the community.
Several steps have been taken as part of the PM Imran-led government’s initiative to defend the rights of sections that were ignored earlier and provide them opportunities to be part of the mainstream workforce.
In a historic step, when the government passed the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act recently, it was legally hailed as a landmark progressive law. Not only does it assurance the right to self-identify, but it also prohibits discrimination by anyone.
It is reassuring to know the state is alert of the issues that subsist and is taking the right measures. Although the message is engrossed by society, equality and respect for transgender persons will remain a dream.
It is regrettable that changing attitudes and mindsets take a lot longer than passing legislation. The government must keep on supporting the community and working on public-awareness drives that sensitize people about gender identity.
Reminder for people to bring change in societal attitudes
Just as women empowerment is not only a women’s concern, and Dalit upliftment is not only an issue of oppressed listed Caste persons, inequity and discrimination against trans people is not only a transgender issue. It requires vigorous engagement from every segment of society.
Let us unite to defend the Trans community’s primary right to live free from all harsh attitudes including, discrimination and build a world of inclusivity for all. There is a need for transgender people to be given their due rights and to be recognized as part of society so that the dream of an ideal society can be realized.
