In another inspiring story with a shining example of breaking the glass ceiling, a transgender person in Bangladesh debuted on national television for the first time as a news reporter.

Tashnuva Anan Shishir delivered a three-minute news bulletin on the private Boishakhi TV channel. 

Shishir says she discovered in her early teens that she was trapped inside a man’s body and was later sexually assaulted and bullied for years.

© BCCL

She said, “The bullying was so unbearable I attempted suicide four times. My father stopped talking to me for years.”

“When I couldn’t cope with it anymore, I left home… I couldn’t stand the neighbours telling my father about how I should act or walk in a masculine way,” she added.

She expressed that she fled from her home and lived alone in the capital of Dhaka and also lived in the central city of Narayanganj.

© BCCL

There, she also underwent hormone therapy, changed many jobs and worked for charities, and also acted in theatres. She did all this while she was studying for her studies.

In January, she also became the first person to study for a Master’s in Public Health at the James P Grant School of Public Health in Dhaka.

Shishir’s broadcast on Monday was for International Women’s Day. Shishir said that she went for auditions on other channels as well but only Boishakhi was brave enough to hire her for the job.

© Twitter

“I tried to think of stage dramas I’ve performed in and follow the techniques I’ve learned there. But I was shaking inside,” she said.

“I don’t want any members of the (transgender) community to suffer. I don’t want them to live a miserable life. I hope they will find work according to their skills,” she added.

This is a great step towards change for the transgender community across the world and especially, in South Asia.

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