Why the Prejudice?
Flipping TV channels in the evening today, I came across the program "Awam ki Awaz" on CNBC Pakistan and the topic for the episode was "Prejudice towards Hijras" (Hijra is an urdu word for members from the third gender). While the host interviewed different people from this community, asking them why they don’t choose to go for professions like others(men and women) do, most of them said, "..because of the attitude of these men and women" i.e. because of us, the so called normal people. One of them told that she had studied till intermediate and wanted to study even further to become a doctor but had to quit because of the attitude of society towards them. According to them, people often end up making their life miserable and force them to go for the conventional "hijra" get up and activities even if they are not willing to.
As I watched the program, I realized how majority usually treats them with disgust and then various questions flooded my mind. Why don’t we let them lead their lives as we do? Get education and go for careers as we do, being what they really are? Why do we expect them to conceal their gender before they could work/study with us? Why the "Eww" feeling even when some of them actually make it big being famous designers/make up artists, we proudly wear what they design and pay thousands to get a makeover done from their salons?
Why can’t we simply accept them as they are and enable them to contribute to the society in more positive ways. No wonder one of them might end up doing something to make us and this country feel proud of! So, is this prejudice ever going to end?
