Pakistan’s first transgender TV anchor escapes assassination attempt
The first transgender female anchor on the independently owned and operated Kohenoor News Network in Pakistan escaped serious injury after two gunmen opened fire as she was returning to her residence after a trip to a local pharmacy.
Marvia Malik, who had made history in the conservative Muslim-majority nation as the first openly trans person on a television channel in 2018, told police investigators that she believed her LGBTQ and intersex rights activism was a “major factor” behind the assassination attempt, citing several threatening calls prior to Feb.
24’s attempt on her life. Malik, who had moved out of Lahore, fearing for her safety based on previous threats, had returned for a surgery only days before the attempt on her life happened.
LGBTQ and intersex rights in Pakistan are still severely restricted with homosexuality being outlawed, punishable by prison sentences and conversion therapy is often a prescribed treatment.
