In some ways, Sobia Khan was like any other child. During prime viewership hours, she would sit with the adults in her family and watch what was on television. In some ways,she was different. Rather early she was told she could not do certain things.

Like other children her age, she was weaving a tapestry of dreams. She told her classmates that she wanted to appear on television. “When I told my classmates I wanted to be on TV, I was bullied,made light of and told that nobody would take me on television because of the way I was,” she says. “It was impressed upon me, at a very early age that the media industry was not for me.” She would prove them wrong.

Since 2019, Sobia Khan, now 25, has been working for the Tribal News Network as a transwoman presenter. She has her own show (Sobia Khan Show on TNN) and cohosts a show on Khyber Television. She is also the voice behind De Gullono Gultasta, a Pashto transmission on Radio Tehzeeb.

Khan has also worked for Pashto movies and been a part of the US Women Journalists Exchange Programme and benefitted from fellowships in Dubai, Qatar and Bangkok.

“Reaching this point was not easy. I faced challenges such as derogatory comments on the streets and during my live show on TNN, societal disapproval,discrimination,bullying and threats,” says Sobia.

Khan says she had to suffer on account of transphobia.“I was addressed with incorrect labels and pejoratives were hurled my way,” she says. “But I’m grateful. I changed some people’s minds along the way.

Some of the people who once doubted me now tune into my show every week,”says Khan.

Khan says transgender individuals have the same potential as other people to excel in life. However, they have to challenge the prevailing misconceptions about their capabilities.

They should get support and love from their families and not be denied their basic rights including unrestricted access to education, healthcare and employment.

Khan is multi-talented.

Besides being a TV presenter, she is a talented singer. Her single “Bebio, Bebio” has been well received across the province.

Her radio show has a loyal audience base. She also keeps up with social media. She says she hopes to pursue a master’s degree in journalism and mass communication.

“I recognise that many transgender people in our province are compelled to leave their homes due to societal non-acceptance.

However, the misfortune is not the end of their journeys.

They have the potential to achieve anything, provided that they fight back. One has to overcome the internal struggles before confronting societal stressors,” Sobia Khan says.

In 2019, Khan was elected cultural secretary of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Broadcasters’ Forum. She was the first transgender person to hold this position.

Her accomplishments extend beyond the media realm. She has also been a social worker. The Police Department has nominated her as a member of the Dispute Resolution Council, entrusting her with the task of resolving day to day conflicts in the transgender community of Peshawar.

Khan is a big proponent of equal opportunities for transgender people.

She has asked the government as well as private organisations to pay attention to setting up inclusive workspaces and offering employment opportunities to transgender persons.

“One day, TNN invited me as a guest on one of their programmes on transgender issues. After the programme ended, I spoke to the producer and expressed my desire to become a presenter,” says Sobia.

“To my surprise, they agreed to give me a chance,” she says. “On my first day as a presenter, a female producer sat next to me because my male colleagues were not comfortable training me in the use of studio equipment,”she says.

Challenges

“I had to face a barrage of hatred and abuse. My programme went live on Facebook. There were several occasions when I thought of leaving this line of work altogether,” says Sobia. “However, my colleagues encouraged me to keep working.”

“I got love and support too,” she adds, “I host a weekly show and people wait their turn to speak to me on-air. Some of these people had earlier disapproved of my role. This makes me think I’ve helped them changed their minds,” she says.

Khan is mindful of her position. She says that she is still reluctant to receive calls from unfamiliar numbers lest there should be more harassment and threats. Visits to public places such as markets and hospitals in the line of work still carry the risk of ugly situations. But this has not stopped her.

Blessings The other side of the coin is also important. “I have been rather fortunate,”

says Khan. “I have parents and colleagues who have supported me throughout. Many transgender people have neither.

Even though, that is a basic right.”

“Being a transgender person in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is challenging.

Only a small percentage of transgender people in the province receive education.

Even for them employment opportunities are limited because of social stigmatisation and harassment,”she says.

Sobia Khan says “Many transgender children are abandoned by their families.

Their parents do not accept them. The world outside is even more cruel,” she says. “Ousted by their loved ones and mistreated by the outsiders.

The only solace they get is from solidarity in their community,” she adds.

Her advice to transgender children is: “You must not give up. You must continue to seek education because it is the only way to break the cycle. Self-confidence is even more important.

Believe in yourself, even if you’re different and you can sense it,” she says.“If we worry too much about other people’s opinions,

we can’t accomplish anything in life. There are many strands of opinion and behaviour in the society.To succeed, one must ignore negative comments and move on,” Khan says.