The decriminalisation of consensual gay sex among adults in India last summer is a small yet significant step towards ensuring the acceptance of LGBT individuals in society. But, will this strengthen the movement to empower transgenders and sexual minorities in South Asia?
For instance, how easy is to be a gay man in a conservative society as Pakistan? “There is nobody openly gay in Pakistan’’, says Qasim Iqbal, an Islamabad based gay rights activist living with HIV. Asked if he faces discrimination because of his sexuality, Iqbal says, “I come from a very wealthy family and in Pakistan, that works as a shield.”
Iqbal who grew up in the United States, explains, “Almost everybody knows that I am HIV positive and gay. Publicly, it would be very difficult to admit that I am gay. Being gay is a very difficult lifestyle. It’s not easy to be gay. We have religious fundamentalists in Pakistan and it would be a very dangerous situation,” he says. However, in his case the government knows about his sexuality. “Some members of the National Assembly are gay but there is no open gay rights movement in Pakistan. It is an emerging underground movement,” he reveals, adding that India’s success has given him and his compatriots hope.
“If India has done it, perhaps we can as well. But, it’s not going to happen today or tomorrow,” he says, while pointing out that the approval of the regional fund and allocation of $6 billion to Pakistan will go towards empowering TGs and gay leaders in Pakistan — this is a first step.
“In February, I have called a meeting of educated TG and MSM leaders to discuss urgent issues confronting the community. For instance, we need to have drop-in clinics for treatment of sexually transmitted infections for MSMs and TGs. HIV prevalence among TGs in some parts of Pakistan is up to 22 per cent,” he says.
Despite the odds being against the LGBT community in Pakistan, some progress has also been made. Recently, the country’s Supreme Court directed that identity cards be issued to transgenders, identifying them as “Khwaja Sira”. This was a pleasant surprise for Iqbal who had recently discussed the same issue informally with Iftiqar Chowdhary, the Chief Justice of Pakistan .
At present, the National Data Bank Registration Agency has started registration in the Sindh province. Jia Foundation, an organisation run by Bindiya Rani, a transgender has registered 1,000 TGs in the Karachi area with NADRA.
“Hopefully, all the TGs in Pakistan will have ID cards by the winter of 2010. They will be counted as Pakistani citizens. At present, they are people with no land. They can’t travel. They are denied opportunities to earn a livelihood and are forced to work as performers, beggars and sex workers,” he says.
“But there are a few exceptions. I know of three Khwaja Sira working as makeup artists in television channels. But, this is rare. The situation will change and the gender will finally become more negotiable,” he adds with an air of optimism.