Kami Sid

Kami Sid is the first Pakistani trans person to rise to prominence as a fashion model. Sid is also an actor and LGBTQ rights activist.[1] Sid also became a controversial figure after accusations of rape and sexual assault against her.[2]

Early life

Sid was born to a middle-class family in Karachi comprising seven siblings. Sid's father passed away during her adolescence and she was raised by a supportive mother. She has a bachelor's degree in Business Studies. She tried to go to the UK for higher studies, but was unable to get a visa. Among the trans communities in Pakistan, Sid belongs to the Khawaja Sira community.[3]

Professional life, activism, and controversies

In 2012, Sid travelled to Thailand for their first photoshoot. The exposure as Pakistan's first trans model brought about a lot of backlash.[3]

In November 2016, Sid did a photoshoot as a form of protest against the atrocities committed against transgender people in Pakistan.[4] On the Pakistani Independence Day of 2017, Sid posed on a rooftop in Karachi while holding up the Pakistani flag. She has given a lecture on transphobia and misogyny in the Karachi Literature Festival in London. Sid is a board member of this non-profit organisation called 'Street to School', which teaches sex-ed and cultural diversity to schoolchildren. She is the program coordinator of the Aks International Minorities Festival in Copenhagen, Denmark.[5]

In 2017, Sid made her acting debut in the short film "Rani" as a transgender toy seller who makes her living selling the items on the streets of Karachi. Produced by GrayScale and Rizvilia Productions, the film is directed by Hammad Rizvi.[6] Of Sid's performance in the film, the Daily Pakistan said that Sid "is a force of nature in it".[7] She was also cast in a play titled 'Dil e Nadan', a play based on a trans person and their relationship with society.[8]

Kami Sid was also accused of rape and sexual assault after which Aurat March organizers removed her from serving as a part of their organizing team in 2018.[9][10] Though Kami rejects the allegations but Aurat March organizers issued a statement that Sid intimidated them.[11] Kami Sid's participation in the PR campaign Change The Clap has also been critiqued for appeasing neoliberal forces and ignoring local practices of the Khawaja Sira community.[12][13]

References

1. "Transgender model and activist Kami Sid to star in 'Dil e Nadan' - The Express Tribune". 29 October 2017.
2. "Transgender activist Kami Sid accused of rape, making threats | Pakistan Today". www.pakistantoday.com.pk. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
3. Imtiaz, Saba (2017-05-01). "Pakistan's first trans model: 'People think we're sex workers but we can be doctors'". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
4. Mic. "Kami Sid becomes Pakistan's first transgender model and her debut photoshoot is gorgeous". Mic. Retrieved 2017-03-15.
5. "kami sid, pakistan's first trans model, is fighting for visibility in karachi". I-d. 2017-08-15. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
6. Staff, Images (5 October 2017). "Transgender activist Kami Sid looks unstoppable in the new 'Rani' trailer".
7. "Kami Sid in the 'Rani' trailer is yet again breaking social barriers". 5 October 2017.
8. "Transgender model and activist Kami Sid to star in 'Dil e Nadan' - The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 2017-10-29. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
9. "Social media ablaze with rape allegations against trans activist Kami Sid". The Express Tribune. 2019-05-23. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
10. Images Staff (2019-05-26). "I am innocent of all the allegations made against me, says trans activist Kami Sid". Images. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
11. Images Staff (2019-05-25). "Organisers of the Aurat March distance themselves from Kami Sid following accusations". Images. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
12. Pamment, Claire (2019-02-25). "The Hijra Clap in Neoliberal Hands: Performing Trans Rights in Pakistan". TDR/The Drama Review. 63 (1): 141–151. doi:10.1162/dram_a_00821. ISSN 1054-2043. S2CID 67875511.
13. Mokhtar, Shehram (2020-01-03). "Mediating hijra in/visibility: the affective economy of value-coding marginality in South Asia". Feminist Media Studies. 21 (6): 959–972. doi:10.1080/14680777.2019.1706607. ISSN 1468-0777. S2CID 214416843.