In search of dignity
Since the opening of the shop at the end of March 2021, coincided with a rise in Covid-19 cases in the region, it once again led to more challenges for the shop. PHOTO: NISHA RAO
KARACHI:
Deep in the middle of the third wave of coronavirus, as people all across the country are suffer financial losses due to lockdowns and curfews, a marginalised community - whose struggles are only deepened by the pandemic.
Advocate Nisha Rao began a tailoring shop for transgenders in Saddar area in March however, her shop has temporarily shut down due to an adverse response from the market and customers. The shop has been rented out by Jinnah Complex apartments to Rao’s group named Trans Pride Society but the markets and unions have not been very receptive to the initiative. “At first, soon as they found out we were transgender, they refused to rent out a shop to us,” Rao shared. “We struggled quite a bit as many people were not open to the idea of transgenders running a tailoring shop however, when everything was finalised, we finally opened our shop but now lockdown and the overall Covid-19 situation has made it difficult for us to operate.”