Challenges and Opportunities

Exploring Lived Experiences of Transgenders during Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted practically every aspect of life around the world, most notably the marginalized transgender population. As a result, the current study aimed to investigate the lived experiences of transgender persons in Dera Ghazi Khan, South Punjab, Pakistan, during the covid-19. The objectives of this study were to explore the challenges, opportunities and coping strategies used by transgender during covid-19 pandemic. In the current qualitative study, 15 transgender were recruited with their consent utilizing snowball sampling. An interview guide was used to conduct in-depth interviews. The interviews were auto-recorded in Siraiki language, translated, and transcribed for analysis. The findings of the study revealed that almost all transgender people believed that covid-19 pandemic is a global rumor spread by unscrupulous politicians in order to make money, as none of them have been impacted by it so far. The participants claimed to be isolated and ignored by the society at large during the pandemic which made them more vulnerable. They faced many socio-economic problems as well as physical and psychological health issue during the pandemic. The studies on transgender population in Pakistan is generally limited particularly literature on the impact of covid-19 on them. The current study explores the lived experiences of transgender community in order to draw the attention of government organizations, NGOs and private sector agencies to the needs of this marginalized community.