Harassed, intimidated, abused: but now Pakistan's hijra transgender minority fin

[Butterfly]

Harassed, intimidated, abused: but now Pakistan's hijra transgender minority finds its voice
Guardian UK
By Declan Walsh
29 January, 2010


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jan/29/hijra-pakistan-transgender-rights


Down a grimy alleyway in Rawalpindi, in the heart of Pakistan's military establishment, a striking figure tweaked her makeup and squirted a dash of perfume under her arms.

Life as a hijra, as Pakistan's ­transgender minority is known, can be tough, said 21-year-old Alisha, recounting tales of extortion, sexual violence and predatory policemen. But of late things have started to improve.