Transgender (also known as Khusra in Pakistan) has always been a discriminated and suppressed gender in Pakistan and whole of sub-continent. It is the group of people who have no rights and enjoy the least amount of respect and acceptance in the society.

 

Transgender is a tabooed word in the Pakistani society which is usually used for hate speech and to disgrace someone. Transgender in Pakistan are not even considered humans in Pakistani society, and they face discrimination and hatred. 

According to statistics, one out of 50 new born babies is a transgender. That makes almost two percent of Pakistan’s population. 

 

Transgender face discrimination in the form of Illiteracy because they are not accepted in the normal and mainstream education system. Pakistan’s education system is not so active and effective for a transgender student. There is another form of discrimination where a transgender gets poor health care or no health care at all. There are a few transgender people who got educated somehow but they couldn’t get any job. 

 

There is a transgender we have as an example. Riffie Khan is such a transgender girl who completed her double masters in Economics and Political Science but couldn’t manage to continue a job due to her unspecified gender. 

 

The authorities have taken step to bring transgender towards normal life but they seem just the paper work as they’re not in practice. Transgender people still have to sing and dance alongside the road or beg on the traffic signals. Other professions they can choose are dancing in private parties or prostitution.

 

Supreme Court of Pakistan has recently given them the right to cast their vote which could be the first drop of rain in this barren and deserted land of injustice. Transgender people were also granted to right to inherit the property, free education and free health care. Most recently, a transsexual from Peshawar Farzana Riaz has received her first passport which is first ever transsexual passport in Pakistan. She was granted a passport which mentioned her gender as gender X.

 

According to Farzana Riaz, it would help her campaign on the behalf of her community. There are a lot of other things to do for this gender because they’re humans just like other two genders. They feel pain and comfort just like males and females. 

 

It is the responsibility of the state to come forward to give them equal rights and make them the productive and respectable part of the society. The responsibility also lies on the shoulders of the citizens of Pakistan to accept this gender and avoid any discrimination so that they could lead a normal life.