The Protection of Transgender Persons Act 2018 in Pakistan, widely considered a positive step to advance transgender rights, is in critical danger. At the time of writing, amendments to the bill are being tabled in Pakistan’s Senate, and National Assembly to undo key protections. These include removing the provision that allows for self-identification without undergoing a medical examination, replacing the word ‘transgender’ with ‘intersex’ in the act, and criminalizing the provision of gender-affirming healthcare. The Act has also been challenged in the Federal Shariat Court.
