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26 Jun, 2019

A new documentary is out which shows Pakistan's very own retirement home for trans people.

BBC's Mobeen Azhar teamed up with producer Madeeha Syed and director Masood Khan to create Our World: The Best Pakistani Retirement Home.

The documentary follows Ashee Butt, also known as Guru Ashee, who opened a space for trans people who had nowhere to go.

Ashee, a dancer in her youth and also retired herself, spoke to Azhar about how she realised there was a need for a retirement home.

"Years ago, a man ran up to me and said: 'One of your people has died and has been lying in the mortuary for a week. There's been no funeral because no one wants the body. There is no family.' It was so painful, I couldn't bear it."

"I ended up arranging the funeral. That's how I got the idea for the retirement home."

Ashee used her own savings in the beginning - that she had from her own dancing days - but along the way she was assisted by donations from around the world.The home took eight years to be up and running and opened this year in February, currently accommodating 40 senior trans folks.

For Ashee, this is just the beginning as she revealed she hopes to see it grow bigger and have the home incorporate additional housing and even a medical centre.

The documentary follows her story, along with tales of other khwaja seras like Madhu, a sex worker in her 50s and Khuram, a trans person unable to live as a woman because of his family. Ashee's retirement home will be a safe space for all trans people where they will be accepted and valued.

Comments

Saif Zulfiqar Jun 26, 2019 02:06pm
How the families of these Trans people are feeling?
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JonAthan Mendes Jun 27, 2019 07:20am
Who cares how the families of these senior Yransgender people who abandoned them as children. They gave up their right to care for their children . No parent should desert children no matter what if society condemns your child, parents should protect them period.
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