

British actor posts on Instagram about meeting the transgender community while in Pakistan
The presence of transgender persons in the backdrop of everyday affairs in Pakistan was highlighted in a recent social media post by British actor and activist Riz Ahmed, who was in the country for Lahore Literature Festival.
Ahmed published a post on Instagram, with the photo of a transgender person whose face was scarred, writing how the transgender community in Pakistan is often left to earn through illegal means despite being recognised as the third gender on official government documents.
The post was published following Ahmed?s trip to a transgender settlement in Karachi.
In his post, Ahmed has pointed out that that transgender person in Pakistan are a marginalised community despite being a part of the South Asian culture on the whole.
However, the subtle post not only highlighted the plight of the transgender community but also bits about their lineage and family system that revolved around a guru-disciple relationship.
The post received many likes and comments, with people thanking him for telling them about a community whose way of living is said to be unique to the subcontinent.
A transgender lady in Karachi, face bleeding fresh from a street-fight. The transgender community has been an established part of South Asian culture for hundreds of years. You see many many more transgender people walking around in Pakistan than in New York or London. In recent times Pakistan has even had a recognised ?third gender? on official government documents, cementing their place in society. Despite this recognition however, they are marginalised and often earn a living through dancing, *** work or a kind of spiritual begging (it is believed their prayers and curses carry more weight, so it?s best not to anger them, and instead to seek their blessings). Same *** relationships are very common in Pakistan and often not thought of as a sign of homosexuality. In many ways this is a non binary culture - in terms of gender, sexuality, and faith. Religiously observant transgender *** workers who live by exacting a spiritual tax, is a good example of this. Known as Khwaaja Sarai (or disparagingly and more commonly as ?Hijra?) they trace their lineage at least as far back as being an important part of the Mughal royal court and administration. The community has an ancient custom of adopting newcomers into guru and disciple relationships. Financial and social rights and responsibilities flow both ways in an interdependent, although sometimes exploitative ?family? system.
A post shared by Riz Ahmed (@rizahmed) on Mar 6, 2018 at 4:18am PST
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