Festival demands transgender community’s recognition within society

Transgender persons on Friday organised a festival at the Arts Council and a rally, demanding their rights and employment opportunities without any further delay.

An organizing committee comprising Hina Pathani, Nisha Rao, Bebo Haider, Kami Sid and Dr Sara Gill named the event ‘Hijra Festival’. The festival aimed to highlight and end social discrimination against the community and demand equal opportunities.

Dozens of transgender persons marched from the Karachi Press Club to Fawara Chowk, dancing and beating drums on their way to the Arts Council. At the Arts Council, they had also set up various stalls of clothes and jewellery, emphasizing that they were not behind in talent.

Talking to The News, Kami Sid said the purpose of the festival was to make the society aware about the rights of the transgender community and to accept their identity.

She said that through the Hijra Festival, they wanted to shed light on various aspects of life connected to the community and present their voice in a unified manner. She said that in this diverse world with various races, genders, religions, and cultures, the third gender, referred to as transgender or Hijra, is present everywhere. Regrettably, due to the lack of education and limited access to dignified employment opportunities in the region, the trans community faces numerous challenges, she lamented.

“We have attempted to highlight some of these issues from behind this curtain. We have three demands: recognition, identity and resilience,” she said, adding that the fact is that trans people are part of society across the globe, but only the rights of men and women are defined.

The society must accept that a third gender also exists among them. “We are also human beings, and we are not aliens.” Sid said that due to constant discrimination and denial of basic rights, the community has been facing joblessness, access to basic health care, education and justice. The irony is that the society is still not ready to accept us as human beings, she said, adding that the aim of this festival is to show the society that transgender persons are part of this society and exist.

“We have existed since ancient times. Our presence signifies an undeniable reality of nature. Therefore, our first point, which is recognition, is a significant goal. Our identity, our existence, must be honoured. In society, different classes continue to struggle for their rights. We are also a part of that struggle. We stand with all the majority and minority communities present in this society, who, within the limits of Pakistan's constitution, laws, religion, and culture, want to obtain their rightful rights.”

She said another crucial point the festival was resilience. Despite facing discrimination on the streets and in markets, and being subjected to ridicule, we do not falter, we do not fear. We have been subjected to violence, our community members have been killed, they have faced blackmail, and society has stigmatized us, but we remain steadfast, for we are not animals; we are human beings, she remarked.

She said the third and very important aspect that we wanted to bring forward through the festival was resistance. Our resistance is not against any person, not against any human, not against any institution; our resistance is against a mindset, a mindset that says that only the powerful or those with a certain physical appearance, complexion and sexual orientation have the right to live and enjoy all rights. The rest are considered secondary or tertiary humans, Sid said, adding that if God has granted distinctions in colour and race to humans, it is only for identification.

In the end of the festival, they also lit candles in solidarity with the victims of Gaza and chanted slogans against the Israeli aggression. Some attended the rally riding in horse-driver carriages.