Views of a transgender graduate, dancer and activist

JANNAT Ali is a trans-woman from Pakistan. She has an MBA in HR and marketing with distinction, and has a performing arts research degree. She is a transgender activist and co-ordinator at the Khawaja Sira Society (an organisation working with the transgender community) working for the prevention of HIV and Aids and education in terms of sexual health, human rights and advocacy in Pakistan.

She has run a literacy programme as an educator/consultant to educate transgender people and has successfully completed it by mobilising and motivating community members.

She is a professional Kathak dancer (an Indian classical dance style) with more than four years’ experience and is one of the six transgender women who were actresses in a play, The Third Tune, based on the real-life stories of transgender people, which has been performed in Lahore, Islamabad and the US(Yale and University of Texas.)

She has attended several training programmes, workshops and seminars in more than five countries where she has represented the transgender community from Pakistan.

She has delivered lectures at Copenhagen Pride 2015, AKS Festival 2015, Copenhagen and AKS Festival 2016 and in Pakistan.

She is the first Muslim transgender person to have conducted a khutba (public preaching in the Islamic tradition) during Friday prayers at the Queer Muslim Conference in South Africa.

“I faced problems when I wanted to tell my parents that I am different but they were not ready to listen and always stopped me when I walked and talked like a girl. From childhood I was attracted to classical dance and it was my passion, but my parents said the dance form was for girls.”

She said girls could not wear anklets (bells).

“When I was in college I was uncomfortable sitting with boys, but I did compromise. I dressed as a boy and acted like them, just for the sake of education and not to face verbal violence from my classmates.”

When she went for job interviews, prospective employers asked about her sexuality and gender. It hurt.

“I continued to struggle and got a job but felt discrimination at the workplace. People started making up stories or started looking at me as a sex object. Then, finally, I got an offer to work in a community-based organisation.”

She said coming out family was a big challenge.

“It took more than a year to prepare myself to come out as my real to her gender identity. My parents stopped me from activism for my community and media appearances.

“But I carried on my activism through the performing arts, meetings and protests with community leaders like Bindiya Rana and Neeli Rana.”

After many hate crimes and murders in her country, she felt insecure.

“It’s a big risk and challenge, but through my positive attitude, respect for work and community, I’ve made my space here and they love me.”

Her visa for Denmark was initially refused because she was transgender and Pakistani, but was granted on appeal.