Transgender issues In Pakistani community their rights and

how media portraying them now a days

1. Terminology
An understanding of basic vocabulary is crucial to the understanding of this thesis
And its purpose. “Transgender” refers to a person whose gender identity and/or gender
Expression differs from what is typically associated with their birth assigned sex. (National
Center for Transgender Equality, 2009).

2. Transgender
Transgender a person whose personal identity is not confirm, and opposite from male
or female gender. Transgender means one who is not a full male or female. It means those
people they belong from third gender is called transgender. Transgender is “Vast” term
which describe the people whose sexual characteristics identity diverse the form that
usually correlate with sex at the time of birth. Many of the transgender live with full-time
or part-time as a member of the opposite sex.

3. Types and categories of Transgender

The word transgender refers to a person whose gender identity differs from the sex to
which it is assigned. Men they are assigned but who are recognizable and living is women
or who want to change or wish to change their live style its referred to as transgender or
transsexual men or its also known as female to male (FTM).

4. Extensiveness of transgender in world

Transgender population has a very large prevalence in the world. Although worldwide fact
and figure of transgender population are unknown with size and numbered. According to
united nation High commissioner “that transgender globally need to improve systematic,
economically and social rights. And he remark widespread discrimination against third
gender. Additionally for transgender protections, care, gender identity legislature is
necessary. Like in 2012 Argentinean senate passed the first gender identity law in the
world (SariL, et al., 2016).”
5. Transgender in Pakistan

Pakistan is the second largest Islamic state on the world. Islam has given equal rights to
everyone but still transgender are neglected by government and the local society. In
Pakistani Culture and background transgender show a very important roles in different,
festivals including marriage ceremony, birthday’s, Eid festival and their big events.
Still transgender in Pakistan link up to (Murat,Hijra,Khawaja Sara and Khusra) Pakistani
given by different names to third gender. It is a group of people they have the
lowest degree of right or honor in Pakistan. Because of uneducated and aggressive mind
set peoples, even they do not prompt to accept them as a human being of Pakistani society.
According to the Pakistani English newspaper (www.pstimes.com) (Pakistan state times
in Article which was published by Mehwish Akhter on wed, Apr 20th,2016. Answer is
very simple and attractive uncomplicated that transgender and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and
Transgender (LGBT) area of people are recognized as a shame and ignominy in the
Pakistani culture. They don’t have sources of income without dancing, singing etc.
they are bound to live outside of common societies, and to make their own colonies.
And in case of any physical attacks they don’t have social respect and personal life safety.

6. Figure percentage of transgender in Pakistan

According to a recent survey of transgender sex, about one-third of 50 children are

noticeable with chronic tendencies / potential. In other words, about 2% of Pakistan's
population are struck or affected by transgenderism (Akhtar, 2016). Third gender is
firstborn determined by family. In initial glance the families become hyper to kill them or
to throw them from their circle because they feel a shamed have a part of family. Report of
2017 census of Pakistan Transgender rights campaigners have claimed the count of 10,418
transgender people nationally in the 2017 census significantly underestimates the size of
Pakistan's transgender population. Mona Ali, who is a leader of a Lahore-based transgender
rights group known as the Khawaja Sira Society, estimates there are 400,000 to 500,000
transgender people in the Punjab province alone. Bindya Rana, leader of the Karachi-based
transgender rights group Jiya, estimates that there are 300,000 transgender people across
Pakistan. The census identified transgender people according to their national identity
cards, not accounting for those whose cards do not disclose their transgender status in order
to avoid discrimination.
Official reports of Indian Government about the active Third gender, it have found
490,000 are active while transgender activists said this figure are six to seven times
higher than official report claimed. Everybody chilled when they found that people
identified themselves as Transgender. (Rema Nagarajan, the Times of India 2014).
Similarly, there numbers of third generation in Pakistan, statistics are still not yet confirmed
by official reports.

7. Rights of transgender in Pakistani law

In 2018, Parliament passed the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act which
established broad protections for transgender people. Earlier, in a historic 2009 ruling, the
Supreme Court of Pakistan ruled in favor of civil rights for transgender citizens, and further
court rulings upheld and increased these rights. According to the Islamic Republic of
Pakistan and the Supreme Court of Pakistan agreed to give transgender equal rights
like other citizens of this country with protection under the article 4 and 9 of the Pakistani
constitution 1973. In 2013, they got as same rights as all citizens of Pakistan. And
the federal and provincial governments give them basic rights of employments, education,
health, work in governments different departments during the comparable period of
time.
In 2009 The supreme court former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry declare
rights that they are third gender and they have equal rights with national ID card
with free education, jobs and health care. But members of transgender community they
don’t have these rights it is just certain records on papers. Under the Transgender Person
(Protection of Rights) Act 2018, Pakistanis may choose to self-identify as male, female,
both or neither. They may express their gender according to their own preferences, and
they may have their gender identity of choice reflected on their documents, "including
National Identification Cards, passports, driver's licenses and education certificates."
The Government is assigned broad obligations to provide medical and psychological
assistance, small business loans and vocational training, sensitivity training for police and
helping professionals, separate prison facilities, and safe houses.
The bill unanimously passed the Pakistani Senate in early March 2018. On May 8, 2018,
the National Assembly voted to pass the bill. It was signed into law when acting President
Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani gave his assent on May 18, 2018.
In August 2018, the School Education Department of the second largest province in the
country, Punjab, instructed its officials to guarantee equal access to schools to transgender
children as per the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act 2018. The department
told its officials to include their gender when they are being admitted to schools and give
equal importance to transgender children during enrollment drives. The department
instructed its officials that the instructions were binding on government as well as
privately-owned schools in the province. Punjab became the first province to take practical
steps in implementation of the Act.
In 2013 Supreme Court of Pakistan has given rights to Transgender which still are not fully
implemented in the community.

8. Alisha Transgender Tragedy in Peshawar (KPK)

The 25-year-old's is the fifth reported case of violence against Tran’s people in Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa. a transgender community activist 25 years old, was shot anonymously
seven times on Sunday night and left in a serious state and Alisha needing emergency
this horrifying attack was in Peshawar but the Lady Rendering Hospital (LRH) staff of
doctor’s and nurse were not ready to treat ALISHA is like a human. And they spent
four hours to decide where to put him/her in male or female ward? Due to careless care,
Alisha left the world leaving the question behind. Why I am not treated like a human being
like other treated. She left the world on the black day of 25th May of 2016 in LRH helpless.
(Dawn report)
9. Interview of Farzana Jan on incident

Farzana Jan, the president of Shemale Association of KP, was almost teary-eyed as she
described to Dawn how she had to run around looking for doctors and finding a suitable
ward while people, mostly attendants with admitted patients, chased her and teased her
instead of helping her in the hour of need. The male and female wards were also reluctant
to have the injured transgender so the attendants including Farzana and other transvestites
had to admit Alisha to a private room in Bolton Block of LRH. Farzana said that people
who were either patients or their attendants were continuously ridiculing them and laughing
at them when they were going through a tragic incident.
These people don’t laugh at us when they book us for their shows and family functions but
they laugh at us when we like any human being are going through some trouble," she said.
She added that she felt belittled and humiliated when instead of helping her injured friend
people were laughing at them.
“They won’t let us treat our patients or even grieve for our dead at the hospital. I felt as if
I am not a human being or even not from this world when I see such inhuman behavior of
so-called Muslim people,” said Farzana.

10. Religion and Transgender

In November 2016 Saudi Arabia bans transgender to allow them to get the VISA
for Religious pilgrimage to Mecca “UMRAH” notification were issued and all the
travel agents shall bound to it (Daily Pakistan 2016). According to Qamar
Naseem(activist with trans action KP Pakistan) that the country rejected the discussion
leading to only resulting more confusion. Javed Ahmad Ghamidi a religious scholar told
to the Pakistan Express Tribune Newspaper, “that government has no rights to prohibit
transgender people performing hajj”. Transgender people are self-conscious, reasonable,
body differences do not make them less human being, they have rights to treated
equally. According to the Islamic law all those parents who are not take care of such kids
are violates the law and they should be consider the criminals (Ghamdi, 2016).
Misbehave with transgender considered “SIN” according to Religion.
11. Different names of transgender used in community

The following bar chart shows the frequency of the offensive names/terms used for
Transgender people. As can be seen from the chart, the most widely used term for people
in the Nation from 2011 to 2015 is eunuch followed by even more derogatory terms such
as shemale and khusra. Whereas the somewhat less controversial terms such as transgender
and khawaja Sara are very low on the frequency scale.

Figured searched by Geist science (Journal of Education and social sciences)

12. Acceptance in media

Stereotyping transgender people in media, all over the world, is more of a norm than an
exception. Reviewing the Pakistani media archives, one gets the impression that, though
over the past few decades Some progress has been made, still there are many challenges to
cope with in order to bring about a fairer and. More balanced portrayal of the Pakistani
transgender community. Negative representation of transgender people in the Pakistani
media is one of the many forms of discrimination which transgender people. Have to face
routinely. Transgender people are often presented in highly essentialist and Constructed
images by media in Pakistan. As a whole, they face a great deal of prejudice in the society,
and the present-day transgender representation in the Pakistani media is just reinforcing
this legacy of negative stereotypes. In recent years, the transgender portrayals in the
Pakistani media have emerged as a subject of growing cultural and social attention. But the
problem is whatever is being communicated by media with reference to this identity tends
to be uncritically consumed by the society at large.

In twenty century many TV shows and dramas portrays transgender as funny character, sex
worker, baggers, and party (baby birth ceremony, wedding) dancers. But in twenty first
century especially from last 4 to 5 years the media has been groomed they took initiative
to portray transgender in a positive way different character in many dramas.

Media also start giving awareness to society that how difficult is life of a transgender in
our society they are not only baggers dancers or sex worker they are human being they
have equal rights like every male and female have in social life of every country many
morning shows inviting transgender as a guest talk to them show people their emotion,
feeling, love, care of family for their self, even for Pakistan are same like other genders.

13. Different drama on the topic of transgender in media

Various channels show different characters of transgender it was portrayed, as never
before.

14. KHUDA MERA BHI HAI

Does being a transgender child makes one unworthy of living in the society? Khuda Mera
Bhi Hai focuses on the life of a third gender child and how the majority of the society shuns
the little baby just because he does not have a specified gender. KMBH has been designed
to hit at all the right chords… we’ve never been comfortable discussing the third gender.
It’s probably the right time to bring up a tabooed issue. KMBH is a thought provoking
serial and when powerhouses like Aisha Khan, Jibran Syed, Aly Khan, Samina Peerzada
are focused on playing their parts right, there is no stop awakening the issue once and for
all.

Khuda Mera Bhi Hai (Urdu: ‫ )خدا میرا بھی ہے‬is a Pakistani Drama serial that aired on ARY
Digital from 22 October 2016 to 10 April 2017. The serial is written by Asma Nabeel,
directed by Shahid Shafaat and produced by Sana Shahnawaz.

The drama revolves around Mahagul (played by Ayesha Khan), a mother who gives birth
to an intersex child named Noor (played by Furqan Qureshi), and the resulting challenges
she faces in her family and society – where acceptance of the third gender remains a
taboo.Noor's father, Zain (played by Syed Jibran) refuses to accept the baby and separates
from his mother.

Mahagul is a conscientious, strong woman who envisions equal opportunities and fair
treatment for her child like any other normal being. She provides him a privileged
upbringing and education while challenging societal norms.She is joined in her mission by
Noor's tutor Mikaeel (played by Alyy Khan), who becomes his caretaker and treats him
like his own son. Mikaeel also develops feelings for Mahagul.

The serial sheds light on the stereotypes, gender discrimination and marginalization that
intersex people face within Pakistani society, and their identity crisis.

The serial has received critical acclaim for its bold story line, and the "important questions"
it raises regarding communal attitudes towards transgender people in Pakistan. Mahwash
Badar of The Express Tribune called it a "game changer", while praising the themes
touched by the drama such as "domestic abuse, how divorce is considered taboo, social
pressures, and most importantly, the rights of transgender people and intersex individuals
in the Pakistani society.

15. ALIF ALLAH OR INSAAN

Alif Allah Aur Insaan is a Pakistani spiritual drama series which aired on Hum TV from
25 April 2017 to 13 February 2018. It holds the title of the longest running weekly of Hum
TV with 44 episodes. Written by Qaisra Hayat based on her novel of the same name.

Alif Allah Aur Insaan revolved around five different people from five totally different
backgrounds and their faith and conviction. It highlighted the concept of how the creator
rewards the people who believe in hard work and patience. It Stars Ushna Shah, Mikaal
Zulfiqar, Kubra Khan, Shehzad Sheikh, Imran Ashraf and Sana Nawaz.

Pakistan’s famous actor/writer Imran Ashraf performed specific role of a transgender

named "Shammo" in this drama. In opening scene of the drama the like other transgenders
shammo was also a bagger but he never wanted to be one. He always things that he should
do something different. People teased him and this irritation leads him. Towards a new
direction. He struggled as hairstylist and became famous makeup artist. Living behind the
critics his determination leads him to success he proved that transgender can do anything
like other people if he determined to do something.

16. Marvia Malik - Pakistan TV airs first transgender anchor

Marvia Malik is a Pakistani newsreader and media figure. She became the first openly
transgender newsreader to appear on Pakistani television in 2018.
She worked as a makeup artist in order to fund her higher studies, before pursuing a career
in mass media, graduating with a degree in the latter from Punjab University. She plans to
follow through with higher studies.

She has previously modelled as well. She has walked the runway for the Pakistan Fashion
Design Council fashion week in Lahore, a job she got through students at the Lahore
Grammar School.
In March 2018, Malik became the first openly transgender person to fill the role of
newsreader on a Pakistani news broadcast. This occurrence attracted media attention. She
is working with Kohinoor News "Azad Bhi Zimydar Bhi" the news channel helped her to
groom in the field of journalism.

17. Miss Marvi Malik told the BBC in an interview

"The dream that I saw for myself, I was able to climb on the first stair to achieving it," she
said.
She said she hoped her work would help improve the lives of Pakistan's transgender
community.
"Our community should be treated equally and there must not be any gender
discrimination. We should be given equal rights and be considered ordinary citizens,
instead of third-gender."
"Our community should be treated equally and there must not be any gender
discrimination. We should be given equal rights and be considered ordinary citizens,
instead of third-gender."

18. Rimal’s Story: Pakistan’s first transgender model

Bold, blunt, beautiful- that is Rimal Ali for you, if you know nothing about her you would
have never noticed that she is not your average girl next door. Though she has strived to
be one; physically at least. Rimal is Pakistan’s first transgender model who is willing to do
whatever it takes to fit in. she struggling in the industry for almost 9 years-she has finally
made her name.
With a degree from Punjab University, Rimal still went up for what she is most passionate
about- dancing.
Rimal’s endeavor with Soch Band has been huge and we won’t lie, that is what actually
caught our attention. “Is ishq Na janay tenu ki keeta, hai Dard bhi kamli, tu has k peeta. Is
ishq wafa may tunay kya paya, hai apnay sath hi, dhoka keeta.” – These lyrics have
especially been written for Rimal who is a childhood friend of the band members. Now a
days she is working in many film projects recently she do one song in movie “7 Din
Mohabbat In (7DMI)”

19. Rimal Ali told in DAWN interview

According to her, good representation, especially in the media, is important. “Mujhay bara
almiya lagta hai ke hamesha transgenders ko le ke funny batein hoti hain TV pe. [I think
it’s quite tragic that when it comes to transgenders, they’re always portrayed in a ‘funny’
way on TV],” she says. “Any role [in film or TV] or even in talk shows, whenever they
portray a transgender, to woh sirf mazak ki hudd tak hota hai [It is only to induce laughter].
“Getting disowned by your family, by society and then the whole world … getting kicked
out of your home when you’re a child, suffering constant abuse and knowing that you can
never get married, have a family, child or life partner … I don’t find anything funny in it.”
She said.

20. Conclusion
The life of transgender has not yet been experienced by any of the person. They are
transgender like us not physically but psychologically they think, eat, stand, walk, feel, talk
like us due to somebody difference we don’t have right to humiliate them and abolish their
basic human rights which is necessary to live in society. Our society wasn’t aware of the
problems of transgender it’s seemed as taboo but from last 4 to 5 year media playing some
sensible role on the issue of third gender by making dramas mentioned above. But that is
not enough, our media and society have to do more for the acceptance of transgender in
our society. If we guide them to the right path they can achieve big goals. Law enforcement
agency should have to implement the order of Supreme Court (for transgender).They
should have given national identity cards and give them government job opportunity. So
that they can excess the all the facility and spend their life as honorable Pakistanis.
  REFRENCES
(http://www.apa.org/topics/lgbt/transgender.aspx)
Akhtar, M. (2016, April 20). Ideas. Retrieved November 16, 2016, from Pakistan States
Times: pstimes.com/2016/04/20/transgender-in-Pakistan
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https://tribune.com.pk/story/1776787/1-punjabs-education-department-enforces-equal-
opportunity-transgender-children/
http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2016/12/saudi-arabia-banning-transgender-people-religious-
pilgrimage-mecca/
Bobby, A. (2016, December 5). 11th Hour. (W. Badami, Interviewer)
https://reviewit.pk/khuda-mera-bhi-hai-last-episode-review-relevant-messages/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khuda_Mera_Bhi_Hai
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-43544146
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opression-and-glamour/
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/08/170811124820.htm
https://dailytimes.com.pk/244578/7-din-mohabbat-in-marks-my-arrival-as-an-actor-of-
merit-rimal-ali/
Eastern Kentucky University
Encompass
Honors Thesis (fall 12-4-2013 Transgender Representation in the Media) by Jessica N.
Jobe
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alif_Allah_Aur_Insaan