On May 23rd Alesha was shot 8 times leaving her in a critical condition.
Alesha was a transgender activist from Peshawar. After she was shot, she was taken to the Lady Reading Hospital.
Alesha did not receive the treatment she so direly needed at the hospital.
The problem? The hospital couldn’t decide what ward to assign her. She was constantly moved between the male and female wards. Hours passed and Alesha’s condition worsened.
Transgender activist shot and then denied treatment in #Pakistan. Stigma against #LGBTQRights stronger than law. https://t.co/FO6Ppge98k
— Ibtisam Ahmed (he/him) (@Ibzor) May 24, 2016
https://twitter.com/BinaShah/status/73506985808644096
Yesterday, the Trans Action Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was successful in getting Alesha a private room in the female ward and getting her into surgery.
Unfortunately, this morning the sad news of Alesha’s death broke.
The news immediately caught fire, and twitter was abuzz.
https://twitter.com/davidadonaldson/status/735356718289408005
https://twitter.com/latimesworld/status/735354252642652161
Alesha, KP #transgender activist was shot by extortionists 6x. KP police were told of the ongoing harassment of trans community, did nothing
— fatima bhutto (@fbhutto) May 25, 2016
After this the Trans Action KPK organized a demonstration outside the Faqirabad Police Station with Alesha’s body.
Alesha’s funeral is being held at 6 PM on May 25, 2016, so if you’re in Peshawar and feel for this cause, you might want to attend.
Trans-phobia is a very big concern in Pakistan
Considering how children are nurtured to be afraid of trans women (khusray) and bullying, humiliation and assault of trans people is a commonly heard issue. The Trans Action shared an image which summarizes how many people feel about this issue.
The question still remains, does being transgender make someone any less human?
Zarra ye bhee check karein: