Pakistan issues its first transgender passport

The transgender group in Pakistan just accomplished a noteworthy development in the battle for equal rights.

Pakistan's Ministry of Interior issued the nation's first travel permit with the transgender position, according to a report by Trans Action Pakistan.

The transgender citizens now have a separate section under gender, marked as 'X' instead of having to choose between male or female only. This comes as a huge achievement after the severe attacks and killings that have been faced by the transgender people in 2016.  

“After a long struggle we are able to make another change,” Trans Action’s post said. “Farzana, president of the Trans Action alliance has become the first transgender person in KP and Pakistan whose passport carries a transgender identity,” the post continued. The "X" class is presently common for national ID proof cards, yet Farzana Riaz is apparently the first to get an international ID stating her as a transgender lady even though the Supreme Court of Pakistan passed this law for the transgenders 5 years ago itself.

“Earlier I had a passport which had described my gender as a male,” Farzana Riaz told the AFP. “But this time I told the authorities that I won’t accept my passport if it doesn’t identify me as a transgender.” 

The nation's transgender group put in four years in a fight in court under the watchful eye of the Supreme Court of Pakistan which allowed a third sex assignment to transgender and intersex people in 2012. Transgender men and women are given national identity cards keeping in mind the end goal to vote, but not international IDs. In addition, the Transgender people will also be checked in the nation's 2017 census. 

Gay and transgender people are regularly still alienated in Pakistani society. Homophobia, as per the BBC, has a religious stigma in the nation. Different nations, for example, Germany, Nepal and India, additionally have a third sex assigned on their travel permits and national identity cards. The United States doesn't have an alternative for international IDs, yet a resident is permitted to modify their visa to change amongst male and female options with “a signed, original statement from a licensed physician.” Oregon, in any case, turned into the very first state to include a non-paired "X" choice to drivers licenses in June.