Qamar Naseem
No doubt that the transgender community continues to face discrimination worldwide. Transgender has been subjected to intense harassment and inequality in every part of the world whether in the workplace, schools, or society either.
Transgender Day of Visibility is an international event on March 31 dedicated to celebrating transgender people and raising awareness of discrimination faced by them worldwide, as well as a celebration of the resilience and accomplishments of the transgender community.
On this day, society celebrates the trans people for raising awareness amongst them regarding the hurdles that they face, and advocates for more protected rights for them in a bid to reform society and empower this community — as it so rightfully deserves.
Rachel Crandall, a U.S.-based transgender activist, founded this day in 2009 to raise awareness about the incredible burden of discrimination the community face in every setting imaginable. The need to bring a day of ‘visibility’ for the transgender community is indicative of the oppression they face in many sectors of life.
Crandall wanted to highlight that the only transgender-centric day that is internationally recognized is Transgender Day of Remembrance, which is in mourning of community members who had lost their lives, and that there was no day to pay homage to living transgender people. By 2014, the day was observed by activists in Ireland and Scotland while, in 2015.
Therefore, on this day annually, Trans activists recognize and revere their contributions, successes, and insistent resilience in standing tall and strong in the face of injustice.
Despite our progress in advancing the rights of transgender people in Pakistan, too many transgender people — adults and youth alike — still face systemic barriers to equality. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa transgender individuals and communities experience shocking amounts of violence and discrimination, although it should be noted that data is limited. In addition to experiencing high rates of domestic and sexual violence, rates of binary people are often the targets of transphobic hate crimes.
Transgender people face many challenges in a society that is unforgiving of any system of gender that is not binary. Farzana Jan President of TransAction Alliance Khyber Pakhtunkhwa says “Violence against transgender people starts early in life, that transgender people are at risk for multiple types and incidences of violence, and that this threat lasts throughout their lives”
According to Farzana Jan 91 transgender persons have been killed only in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa while there are thousands of cases of violence”.
Nayab Ali another international award-winning transgender person from Islamabad says “Everyone has a deep-rooted sense of their gender. For most people, their gender identity will match the sex recorded on their birth certificate when they were born. But for some, their assigned sex isn’t true to who they are. This is often referred to as being trans or transgender. There is nothing wrong with being trans: it’s simply a part of the rich diversity of human nature. Tran’s people are a vital part of communities and cultures, as they have been throughout history”
In a world, where many people hold negative views and awareness of trans issues is limited, trans people often face hostility, discrimination, and violence – simply for being who they are. Living life openly as your true self is something most people take for granted. For transgender people, this can be very dangerous. Living authentically, – simply being visible – takes an enormous amount of courage. But with the increased visibility of trans people in our communities, the media, and public life, comes awareness and changing attitudes – which is key to securing trans people’s fundamental rights.
It’s time to stop vilifying those who are different from ourselves. It’s time to stand up for the rights of the transgender community. It is time to celebrate trans visibility.
The author is a human rights activist and Tweets @QamarNaseemPak
