Gay rights activists have marched in an annual parade in India's capital, New Delhi. The event drew attention to the still prevalent discrimination against homosexuals in the country.
Image: Picture-Alliance/AP Photo/T. Topgyal
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Hundreds of people marched in the Indian capital, New Delhi, on Sunday in an annual gay rights parade in a country that still has a law criminalizing homosexual acts.
The Queer Pride Parade has taken place in the city since 2008, and is among a number of other similar events that have been established in other major centers, including one in the eastern city of Kolkata that goes back to 1999.
Over the past decades, homosexuals have become increasingly accepted in India, particularly in large cities, with many bars having gay nights and some Bollywood films even thematizing gay issues.
However, Section 377 of the Penal Code, which was declared unconstitutional in 2009 but reinstated by the Supreme Court four years later, makes gay sex punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The section was introduced during the British rule of India.
Widely conservative society
Many from India's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community feel that the legal discrimination against them is unlikely to change in the near future, given what is widely perceived as a non-supportive stance of the Hindu nationalist government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Activist Rituparna Borah expressed pessimism about the current situation in remarks to the Associated Press news agency, saying that India had "yet to have an inclusive society."
Dancing despite fear - Pakistan's cross-dressing men
By day, Waseem sells cell phone accessories. By night, he is a female party dancer. But being a cross-dresser in Pakistan is not without risks. AP Photographer Muhammed Muheisen captured the struggle in pictures.
Image: picture-alliance/AP/Muhammed Muheisen
Dancer by night
When night falls in the city of Rawalpindi, Waseem starts to dance. The 27-year-old acts as a "hijra," the third gender. Estimates suggest thousands of them live in Pakistan. They are especially popular as dancers at weddings or baby showers because their prayers are deemed very effective. However, these are the only occasions they are truly accepted.
Image: picture-alliance/AP/Muhammed Muheisen
Different in daylight
During the day, Waseem sells cell phone accessories in an alleyway shop. His colleagues or friends know next to nothing about his nightly life.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/M. Muheisen
Turning into Rani, the dancer
For Waseem, leading this double life serves mainly as a way to achieve a better life: "Being a dancer helps me to earn much more money than working in a shop," he says. For true hijras, life is a constant fight. Those who can't work as dancers, in many cases drift off into prostitution. All of them - even Waseem - face harassment and abuse.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/M. Muheisen
United in loneliness
Many orthodox believers hate these "creatures between men and women". Radical Islamists attack them in public. That's why the hijras shy away and live in a close-knit community. "Eyes follow me when I walk out of the apartment," says 43-year-old Bakhtawar. "Being with other dancers is like being with a family. When I am surrounded by them, I feel safe, respected and empowered."
Image: picture-alliance/AP/Muhammed Muheisen
Showing their true selves
Many hijras fled from these stares to the anonymity of a big city, keeping their true self from colleagues or family. However, Pakistani law is rather progressive in this regard: In 2011, a Supreme Court ruling officially recognized the third gender. Hijras can now tick it off in their passports, are allowed to vote, open a bank account and work legally - helping some get away from prostitution.
Image: picture-alliance/AP/Muhammed Muheisen
Standing up for equality
For the first time, transgender people like Bindiya Rana (pictured on the right) ran for the country's parliament during elections held in 2013. Although she didn't get into parliament, she has kept fighting for equality and an end to discrimination. New laws have so far not succeeded in bringing any major change to the public mindset in the conservative Pakistani society.
Image: picture-alliance/AP/Shakil Adil
Living a double life
Even today, only few transgenders are openly presenting their identity with such pride as Amjad. "The only thing that I can't do is conceive babies," the 44-year-old says.
