Nisha Rao, 28, is Pakistan’s first transgender lawyer, having gone from begging on the streets to gain her law license earlier this year and joining the Karachi Bar Association.
In 2018, the country’s parliament passed a law recognising trans people as equal citizens and giving them legal protections from discrimination, however many still face prejudice and unemployment.
Rao used money from begging to fund overnight law classes, and several years later received a degree.She has now contested 50 cases and is working with a local organisation which advocates for trans rights.
Rao told Reuters: “I am proud to have become Pakistan’s first transgender lawyer…My goal is to become Pakistan’s first transgender judge”.