ISLAMABAD: For the first time, transgender boy scouts from Pakistan could be heading to the Hajj pilgrimage in Islam’s holiest city, signalling growing acceptance of the stigmatised minority in Pakistan. The Pakistan Boy Scouts Association accepted its first 40 transgender members when they took the oath in Karachi last week, said Atif Amin Hussaini, head of boy scouts in the southeastern Sindh province. Hussaini said transgender scouts could make up some of the 40 to 50 members that it sends to volunteer at the Hajj annually. “We are proud to send them to the Hajj,” he said, adding that all scouts will be selected on merit. “Pakistan already accepts their identity so there should be more efforts and programs to integrate them into society inside and outside Pakistan,” he said via phone from Peshawar.

Source: Pakistan Today February 23, 2018 10:41 UTC