Riz Ahmed explores Karachi's transgender communities

British actor/rapper Riz Ahmed's Instagram tells us that he flew down to Karachi after attending the Lahore Literary Festival as a speaker.

And yesterday, Riz revealed that he visited a transgender settlement in Karachi during his trip. He shared photos from his visit and penned down what he's learned about Pakistan's khwaja siras for his followers around the world.

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He begins by talking about the small but vital strides Pakistan's taken for transgender social inclusion, "The transgender community has been an established part of South Asian culture for hundreds of years. You see many many more transgender people walking around in Pakistan than in New York or London. In recent times Pakistan has even had a recognised ‘third gender’ on official government documents, cementing their place in society."

But he notes that these initial steps are slow in effecting positive change in transgender lives. "Despite this recognition however, they are marginalised and often earn a living through dancing, sex work or a kind of spiritual begging (it is believed their prayers and curses carry more weight, so it’s best not to anger them, and instead to seek their blessings)."

Riz's post earned many positive reactions, with people thanking him for the insight. "Thank you for teaching, it is of such great importance to support those in less privileged positions and to understand more of other cultures. Much love!" said one. "Wow. Definitely the best thing I've learned all day. Thank you for sharing!" another wrote.

Riz has also shared photos of Pakistan's unique truck art a post in praise of Pakistan's and also shared photos from his trip to Juna Market and Johriya Bazaar.