In Pakistan, it is a sin to be a transgender

I am at a loss for words. I really am. It feels like a sucker punch. It feels like I’m in an alternate dimension – something out of a dark graphic novel where there are no heroes, just villains.

And that’s just me. Disconnected from the actual scene of crime, sitting comfortably on my chair, typing away this blog, trying to express the deep sense of horror that I feel right now after watching these videos.

The video below shows a gang member brutally beating a transgender – he humiliates and assaults her, but no one is able to set this person aside or stop him from behaving this way.

The video placed above shows a transgender named Julie narrating this horrific tale of what happened to her in Faisalabad and Sialkot where she was physically abused, harassed, sexually assaulted and gang raped. She takes off her scarf and shows that her hair was chopped off. She narrates that there are gangs in every city that commit these heinous crimes and go scot-free. Everyone knows that they do this – everyone knows about them but there is little action against them.

Disclaimer: This video contains explicit content and may not be appropriate for people all ages. Please watch at your own discretion.  


News reports suggested that some of these perpetrators have been arrested – but to what long term consequence, is my question. What long-term effect will this sporadic arrest have? None. These gang members, likely to be connected with political and legal big wigs, will be free again. We ridicule them in our society. We do not want to protect them from disenfranchisement. We do not want them to be a part of us. And when a community is marginalised to such an extent, harassment and abuses against them will only increase.

Watching these videos was heart-breaking and terrifying. Julie sobs and asks everyone what if they had children in their house who were intersex or transgender – would they want their child to be treated like that? They are human beings. Just like us. They deserve to live in Pakistan without fearing for their lives and more importantly, they deserve justice.