Transgender want to be recognized as third gender, says Almas Bobby-2464-News

Transgender in Pakistan do not want separate schools, hospitals or vocational institutes. They just want to be recognised as a ‘third’ gender in Pakistan, said Almas Bobby, president of the Transgender Foundation Pakistan.

Almas Bobby was addressing a seminar on ‘Acceptance & Opportunities for Transgender in Pakistan’ at the Sustainable Development Policy Institute.

Ms Bobby said that social acceptance of transgender should be done at community level. However, if shy of giving equal rights, she did not mind housing societies taking courage to have adopting apartheid-like separate schools, institutes or hospitals for transgender. She appreciated the suo motto action of Supreme Court of Pakistan providing transgender identity cards. It is a great responsibility on our community, she said, to prove ourselves with respect and dignity.

She said “Inflation and corruption forced many amongst us to choose the wrong path but we are loving people who need love, respect and dignity.” She asked people to “change their attitude towards us and the government should focus to provide us with equal rights to education and work opportunities like any other citizen of the country."

Muhammad Majid Bashir, senior advocate, briefed on the laws for transgender in Pakistan.

In 2011, he said, the Supreme Court took up a step for transgender community to allow a third gender category on national identity cards, a legal share of family inheritance, a reserved 2% quota of jobs in all sectors and the right to vote in elections. However, he said, these rights were already present in the Constitution and SC simply identified those rights for transgender. Social acceptability is required for strengthening these rights, which are extremely lacking, he observed.

Riffee Khan, representative from the Gender Interactive Alliance, Pakistan, said “The Sindh government employed three transgender persons as full-time employees and luckily I am one of them.” Further, she explained, the endless support of her family which was helpful for her to achieve double master’s degrees in Pakistan. “Unfortunately, transgender in Pakistan have to face brutal discrimination in jobs, not to mention the limited access to education and state protection. They are easy victims of violence and have no option left but to indulge in immoral activities for survival,” she said.

Ms Khan said that according to Article 25 of the Constitution all Pakistanis have equal rights without any classifications.

Jannat Ali, project manager of the Khawaja Sira Society, Lahore, focused on the needs to be catered by the government and civil society for transgender for a civilised living adding that with such initiatives, they are opening up space for themselves as productive citizens in a society, showing their strengths and proving themselves functional rather than relying on help by government or NGOs. Further, she also introduced Chand Literacy Society which is providing free education to transgender and also offering them work opportunities.