Bangladesh's marginalised transgender community has finally been granted the right to use their correct identity to register as a voter.
“Bangladesh's marginalised transgender community has finally been granted the right to use their correct identity to register as a voter.
Government officials have given full recognition to the hijras cultural status by creating a specialist "third gender" category on Bangladesh's national voters list.
Previously, the hijra community could only sign up to vote as men or women – but many avoided doing so because they did not feel adequately represented.
Now, individuals can register to vote using their own identity as a hijra.
Government estimates say there are around 10,000 hijra in the country although the Bandhan Hijra Singha, a transgender rights group, states that the figure is actually around 100,000.”
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