KARACHI: As many as 40 transgenders took the oath to become members of the scouting community at a ceremony held at a hotel in Karachi on Friday.
For the very first time in the history of the country, the transgender youth were welcomed into the Pakistan Boy Scouts Association (PBSA) – a national scouting organisation and one of the largest volunteer forces in the country.
The young transgenders, wearing scout scarfs, took the oath at the ceremony and were educated about scouting rules.
TransAction Alliance President Farzana Jan on the occasion said that the transgender community in Pakistan is extremely happy to be welcomed into the scouting community.
“We feel that we are recognised as equal citizens of Pakistan and we are glad to see that the level of our acceptance is increasing,” she said.
PBSA, which has nearly 700,000 members, aims to train young boys in first aid, civil defence, camping and hiking, community development projects and emergency response and holds regular camps, hikes, speech contests and other activities such as tree planting camps and peace camps.