Over the years, we have been told that the society we live
in is a diverse, tolerant and a multicultural one, where every member of the
society enjoys some very basic human rights and that it is the
responsibility of State to act as a caretaker of all of the fraternities
that it houses, irrespective of caste, creed, and color. The very same
community, followed by the State then blatantly alienated a certain section
of society to the point that it became a shame to them for who they are –
Transgender. All these seventy-two years of independence and the lack of
intent to integrate this section of the community well enough is something
which we all and the State herself need to answer.
Transgender is a term used for people whose gender identity varies from that
which is traditionally associated in our society as Male or Female. In a
broader sense, these are the people whose gender identity is different from
the sex assigned at birth, it includes FTM AND MTF, gender-queer,
non-conforming gender, gay and cross-dressing.
FTM and MTF stand for Female-to-Male and Male-to-Female. It refers to people
who were designated to be female at birth but expresses themselves as male
and vice versa. Gender-queer refers to the people who see themselves as both
male and female or neither male nor female, falling completely outside these
categories.
Gender non-conforming are people whose behavior does not fit neatly in a
category. Gay or Lesbian refers to the people who have an attraction towards
people of the same gender. Cross-dressing refers to people who wear clothes,
makeup or accessories which are not traditionally associated with their
biological sex.
While the visibility of transgender is increasing in our society, they still
face severe discriminations and inequalities in life. These identities
deserve to live and flourish themselves with the freedom to learn, work and
build their lives and stay connected to people at home or work and even
through in public places without fear of their safety and survival. They are
also part of our society and deserves all the equal rights under
non-discrimination law that includes gender identity. There are so many
cases highlighting the lack of legal protection, eventually translating into
unemployment, further causing poverty in this community. They are also a
victim of sexual harassment, bullying, and serious violence, due to which
few of them commit suicide as well. Blockades for them to obtain medical or
necessary health service due to not having their basic identity documents or
CNIC’s paint an appalling picture of a society where ‘acceptance’ turns out
to be a rarity
The State; as a custodian of all the sections of the society must come
forward with a plan of action to provide a legal cover to these groups of
people. Human rights campaigns should work to support and advocate the basic
rights of the transgender community so that they may also have an equal
opportunity to not only contribute to the national stream but also to
succeed and thrive regally.