Third gender stigmatised for life

That people should be forced to live their whole lives on the margins, cut off from their families, shunned by society and denied of employment opportunities simply because of who they are is testament to how intolerant we, as a society, still are towards people we perceive to be "different" than us. The third gender community in Bangladesh continues to be treated with indignity and insolence by the society at large – stigmatised for their fluid gender expressions and ostracised by even their own families for defying societal expectations. 

It is unfortunate that despite some commendable initiatives taken by the government to incorporate the transgender community into mainstream society in recent years, people are still prejudiced against them, refusing to rent houses to them or give them employment opportunities. With no family to turn to or a dignified job, members of this community are often pushed to the outskirts of the city, compelled to take up humiliating professions -- such as begging on the streets in an aggressive manner -- to make their ends meet. There is no peace for them even in death, as there is no place in which they are allowed to be buried.

It is high time that we, as a society, turn the gaze of judgement towards ourselves and ask why we should treat other human beings with such cruelty and disrespect, denying them love and the opportunity of a dignified life. 

We urge the government and NGOs to raise awareness on the issue of gender-based discrimination in the wider society, advocating for tolerance, love and respect for others, in addition to taking concrete action to include them in the social, political and economic spheres.