Al Jazeera.“The victory means they really love me and they have embraced me as their own,” she said. “I will dedicate my life to public service.” Ritu is one of the country’s 1.5 million transgender people.
Many face discrimination and violence. Due to the transphobia they face, trans people in the country are often forced to live on the streets, begging for money and food to stay alive.
She was born into a large Muslim family in Trilochanpur. Eventually, she fled and joined a community for transgender people in Bangladesh’s capital of Dhaka.
Ritu, who uses both female and male pronouns, returned to her hometown in her 20s where she became a popular community figure.