So far the Pakistani society has allowed space for the LGBT people to coexist merely because as long as they stay under wraps, the mainstream social structure will remain intact
For a woman from a low-income, conservative background in rural Pakistan, Azra Ahmed had built a potentially hot career.
But then it went right off the boil.
Ms Ahmed, 29, is in a lesbian relationship - and in a country where homophobia has wide social and religious sanction, that may not help your job prospects.
Ever since she was a little girl she has also wanted to pursue gender reassignment surgery but her remote location has prevented her from doing this. This has also made it more difficult to explore moving to another country where she can lawfully marry her girlfriend.
Now she is keeping a low profile with her partner, stuck in a small town which offers few economic opportunities for her skills as a sales executive.
The story of Ms Ahmed and her partner, Lubna Jamal, broke in January when a little known Pakistani human rights group launched an online appeal seeking support for the couple. Both women's names have been changed in this article to protect their identity.
The appeal went largely unnoticed by civil rights groups, but the man behind it, former journalist Arshad Sulahri, says he received phone calls from unidentified quarters warning him not to promote homosexuality.
A defiant Mr Sulahri has now launched a political party, which is the first in Pakistan to list eunuchs as a separate gender group on its membership form. He says the party now intends to expand to include lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people (LGBT).
Over two years ago, a reputed professional was murdered in Karachi under unique circumstances.
Newspaper reports carried limited disclosure of the details surrounding the event that were inextricably linked to the victim’s sexuality.
His preference for the same sex was an open secret among his relatives and colleagues. But the matter was hushed up for two reasons. First, his family would have had to bear the stigma attached to his sexual orientation. Secondly, there was the compassion-borne notion that the memories of a deceased should not be tainted.
Considering the consequences of publicly disclosing the details, it was necessary to keep a lid on the matter. In conservative Pakistan, such cases will continue to be dealt with in a similar manner.
Pakistan was one of the countries that had voted no to the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people at the UN Human Rights Council last month.
The country’s first website for the LGBT people, queerpk.com, was recently taken down by the telecommunication services -- three months after it was launched. It allowed a platform for the LGBT people and advocated gay rights.
A few months ago, Eiynah NM, a Toronto-based Pakistani artist and blogger, went on to create a post called ‘My Chacha is Gay’, a story about a boy growing up with a gay uncle, in a bid to te
For a woman from a low-income, conservative background in rural Pakistan, Azra Ahmed had built a potentially hot career.
But then it went right off the boil.
Ms Ahmed, 29, is in a lesbian relationship - and in a country where homophobia has wide social and religious sanction, that may not help your job prospects.
Ever since she was a little girl she has also wanted to pursue gender reassignment surgery but her remote location has prevented her from doing this. This has also made it more difficult to explore moving to another country where she can lawfully marry her girlfriend.
Now she is keeping a low profile with her partner, stuck in a small town which offers few economic opportunities for her skills as a sales executive.
The story of Ms Ahmed and her partner, Lubna Jamal, broke in January when a little known Pakistani human rights group launched an online appeal seeking support for the couple. Both women's names have been changed in this article to protect their identity.
The appeal went largely unnoticed by civil rights groups, but the man behind it, former journalist Arshad Sulahri, says he received phone calls from unidentified quarters warning him not to promote homosexuality.
A defiant Mr Sulahri has now launched a political party, which is the first in Pakistan to list eunuchs as a separate gender group on its membership form. He says the party now intends to expand to include lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people (LGBT).
Over two years ago, a reputed professional was murdered in Karachi under unique circumstances.
Newspaper reports carried limited disclosure of the details surrounding the event that were inextricably linked to the victim’s sexuality.
His preference for the same sex was an open secret among his relatives and colleagues. But the matter was hushed up for two reasons. First, his family would have had to bear the stigma attached to his sexual orientation. Secondly, there was the compassion-borne notion that the memories of a deceased should not be tainted.
Considering the consequences of publicly disclosing the details, it was necessary to keep a lid on the matter. In conservative Pakistan, such cases will continue to be dealt with in a similar manner.
Pakistan was one of the countries that had voted no to the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people at the UN Human Rights Council last month.
The country’s first website for the LGBT people, queerpk.com, was recently taken down by the telecommunication services -- three months after it was launched. It allowed a platform for the LGBT people and advocated gay rights.
A few months ago, Eiynah NM, a Toronto-based Pakistani artist and blogger, went on to create a post called ‘My Chacha is Gay’, a story about a boy growing up with a gay uncle, in a bid to te
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