Life's a drag act for the TV presenter challenging homophobia in Pakistan -
Asia, World - The Independent »
Posted By gamahuche
2 months, 2 weeks ago
in Arts & Entertainment
A finely groomed woman in a sparkling turquoise sari sashays through the doors of Asia House to rapturous applause. Her sari twinkles under the glare of TV cameras and a queenly smile breaks through heavy face-powder. She bows to the audience of British Asians and Pakistani embassy dignitaries, then looks Wajid Shamsul Hassan, the high commissioner, squarely in the eye.
"I'm so sorry I'm late, my dears, but this," she says, casting her hand over her face and outfit, "took two hours. The pressures of being a woman: men expect so much from us."
Some of the audience titters. This impeccably dressed guest, was introduced as Begum Nawazish Ali, the stately widow of an army colonel, and he is Pakistani's first television transvestite. Begum, otherwise known as Ali Saleem, is a 30-year-old television presenter who has made a name for himself as Pakistan's first open bisexual, a highly transgressive act in a country where overt homosexuality is banned under sharia law.
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gamahuche
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gamahuche2 months, 2 weeks ago
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Being a homosexual drag-queen in Pakistan sounds like an extremely reckless and perilous way to make a living..
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This will never be Cockette territory: http://grandelusion.com/-
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Natureboy2 months, 2 weeks ago
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You should check out the assault and murder stats on LGBT here in the USA. Deviation from gender norms is perilous here, too. In 2008, murder of an LGBT occurred on the average of every nine days. A REPORTED murder - many states don't maintain statistics on LGBT murders.
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Natureboy2 months, 2 weeks ago
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It would seem that not only is Ali defying stereotypes, but so are the Pakistani military types. Read this story, and ask yourselves, would Ali get this level of respect and courtesy from the US military if he were on USA prime time, as a drag-queen wife of a US military officer?
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