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Transgender people, who call themselves Khawaja Siras, have always enjoyed a special status on the Indian subcontinent. For five years, Pakistan enjoyed one of the most progressive laws in the world, recognising the existence of a “third gender”. But this law has just been amended. The issue of transgender rights also made headlines late last year when the Pakistani film “Joyland”, the story of a love story with a transgender erotic theatre dancer, was shortlisted for the Oscars. FRANCE 24’s Shahzaib Wahlah and Sonia Ghezali report.
In Pakistan, a conservative Muslim country where homosexuality is considered a crime, the Senate passed the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act in May 2018. This allowed trans people to be on an equal legislative footing with their fellow citizens. The text prohibiting any form of discrimination against the Khawaja Siras stemmed from the special status enjoyed by the trans community in Pakistan. But this law was amended five years later, on May 19, by the Federal Shariat Court.
At the end of last year, controversy erupted with the film “Joyland”, the first Pakistani film to be shortlisted for the Oscars. It was also shown at the Cannes Film Festival in 2022. The feature film tells the story of a married man who falls in love with a transgender erotic theatre dancer. “Joyland” was initially censored by the government under pressure from hardline Islamist parties, before finally being authorised for release from November 16. However, very few cinemas have chosen to show it.
At last year’s Cannes Film Festival, FRANCE 24 interviewed Saim Sadiq, the director of “Joyland”. He recognised “a form of acceptance and coexistence within society” regarding trans people and warned against an “overly simplistic vision” of thinking that they spark more debate in Pakistan simply because of the country’s Muslim culture.
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