Oral history projects are significant in sharing the lived experiences of people around the world. These collection of interviews were carried out with the intention of bringing awareness to the everyday struggles of a transgender woman in Pakistan. Depending on the educational attainment and the support which comes from the family, some of these interviewees embrace their transgender identity more openly than the others. Moreover, due to the lack of awareness, exposure, and education among Pakistani people, a transgender identity has stigma associated with it which is the primary cause of social exclusion for this marginalized group. And because of this prohibition from participating in the society, transgender women have no choice but to depend on singing and dancing, begging, or sex work to produce an income for themselves. In addition to this, I hope with this project I can create a precedent for other Pakistani researchers who are interested in this subject matter in order to encourage more work done in relation to transgender rights in Pakistan. I conducted these interviews in Urdu to reach the wider Pakistani audience and with the transcript of the translated interviews in English published on this public domain, I aim to expose the world to the voices of the transgender community in Pakistan. I hope that Pakistani policy makers are also one of the audiences who get exposed to my work and as a result, implement drastic changes within the country for the well-being of the transgender community for all to see. Each one of these stories is unique in its own manner, and I am grateful for all the transgender women who took the time out to sit with me and engage in the interviews.

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Submissions from 2021

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Faizi Ji, Mahum Nazar

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Heer, Mahum Nazar

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Jahan, Mahum Nazar

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Saro, Mahum Nazar

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Sundas, Mahum Nazar

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Zanaya Chaudhry, Mahum Nazar