Lahore shelter facility serves as safe haven for transgender persons

LAHORE: A new shelter facility in Lahore’s Rachna Town serves as a safe haven for the transgender people in the city.

The facility houses transgender people aged 50 or above, as well as those seeking treatment for diseases such as AIDs and hepatitis. Transgender people are provided with food and medical treatment free of cost at the shelter home. 

The shelter is run and funded by Beghar Foundation, which advocates for the rights of transgender people.

Speaking about the shelter/old age home, foundation’s chairperson Ashi Butt shared: “I used to get very upset when I see transgender people walking helplessly on the roads. Now, God has listened to my prayers and transgender people with AIDS, hepatitis have found a safe haven.”

The single-storey facility can house 50 people and is expected to be inaugurated soon. The shelter home also lacks proper bedding and facilities, but Butt hopes to improve the situation in near future.

‘No less than heaven’

One of the residents of the facility shared that this facility was no less than heaven for the transgender community. “Khawaja sera are homeless. This is the best facility for them. This is no less than heaven for us.”

Others shared that they are quite happy to have a place of their own, adding that now it doesn’t matter to them if their families look after them or not.

The transgender community has appealed to the government to open up similar facilities in other cities.