THE transgender community in Pakistan is seldom allowed to enjoy the rights bestowed on citizens by the Constitution. Most people look down on them and do not consider them a part of the community.

There are an estimated 500,000 transgender Pakistanis, and it was only in 2012 that they were officially recognised as a community and granted some legal rights. Sadly, this is only on paper. All Pakistanis should accept the fact that transgender people are also human beings, and deserve our compassion, respect and understanding so they can hold their head high.

Ayesha Naseem

Bahawalpur

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2018