Transgender dancers in Pakistan have lost work at weddings and celebrations because of a nationwide lockdown triggered by the pandemic.
Transgender people in Pakistan are largely shunned by society. ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN -- Before the virus shutdown, dancer Adnan Ali had carved out a comfortable living performing at parties for newlyweds and newborns, avoiding the financial hardship faced by many in Pakistan's transgender community.
Transgender people in the country are known as "khawajasiras" or "hijras" -- an umbrella term denoting a third sex that includes transgender women and cross-dressers. Pakistan became one of the first countries in the world to legally recognise a third sex in 2009 and began issuing transgender passports from 2017. Several have also run in elections.
"We have been quarantined for our entire life, we cannot go outside and we hide our faces whenever we leave our homes," she told AFP, her wardrobe of dazzling dresses neglected. "I can see that the problems will increase in the future, it's not going to end, the uncertainty has created mental and physiological problems," Kashish said, questioning whether the dancers will be able to regain the financial freedom they once had.
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