Transgender activists in Pakistan said they plan to appeal to the highest court in the land an Islamic court's ruling that guts a law aimed at protecting their rights.
The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act was passed by Parliament in 2018 to secure the fundamental rights of transgender Pakistanis. It ensures their access to legal gender recognition, among other rights.
Many Pakistanis have entrenched beliefs on gender and sexuality and transgender people are often considered outcasts. Some are forced into begging, dancing and even prostitution to earn money. They also live in fear of attacks.
The Federal Shariat Court on Friday struck down several provisions of the landmark law, terming them "un-Islamic."
It ruled that a person cannot change their gender on the basis of "innermost feeling" or "self-perceived identity" and must conform to the biological sex assigned to them at the time of birth.
The Shariah court has the constitutional mandate of examining and determining whether laws passed by Pakistan's parliament comply with Islamic doctrine.
"We absolutely intend to appeal the court's findings to the Supreme Court, and we will prevail," said Nayyab Ali, executive director of Transgender Rights Consultants Pakistan, at a news conference Friday.
Ali said the transgender community was "mourning the decimation" of Pakistan's first transgender rights protection legislation in response to the Islamic court's finding.