When Karachi-based doctor and photojournalist Bilal Hassan approached the model for this impromptu image, he was initially met with hostility. ‘My name is Inspector Munni, CID police,’ she said. ‘If you mess with me, I will kick your ass.’ ‘This attitude is not surprising,’ Hassan says, ‘as Pakistani transgender citizens are often shunned by mainstream society, and find themselves vulnerable to being forced into begging, sex work or dancing to survive.’ After a rocky start, Munni was kind enough to let Hassan take her photograph. In May 2019, Pakistan passed a law guaranteeing basic rights for transgender citizens and introduced a third gender for official documents.
Southern Exposure: Bilal Hassan
Karachi-based photojournalist Bilal Hassan encounters a kick-ass personality.
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