Transgender Inclusion in Pakistan: Analyzing Legal Framework and Societal Attitudes

Abstract

This article examines the social inclusion of transgender individuals in Pakistan, highlighting both local and global implications of their struggles. Still, the gulf between legal progress — such as 2018's Transgender Protection Act and its newly revised form in a bill recently introduced to Congress for consideration in 2021 — remains wide with respect to actual rights of transgender people being realized. This paper examines international human rights treaties and regional agreements, which call for greater recognition of gender identity or expression. It focuses on the transgender community in Pakistan to understand social exclusion, access to healthcare and employment discrimination through case studies. One reason lies in cultural barriers, and it is the stigmatization of leprosy because society disapproves of discrimination on grounds that have yet to be defined; for example, religions force this kind of behavior. This article aims to give insight into the struggles transgender people face in Pakistan and stresses the need for targeted relevant changes as well as public awareness that respects their dignity and protects their rights. In a nutshell, this research hopes to contribute to ongoing talks about including and keeping those on the margins safe in a push for freedom by striving for fairer communities that value everyone's rights regardless of how they see themselves.