Pakistani transgender activists to appeal Shariah court ruling against law aimed at protecting them

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Transgender activists in Pakistan say they plan to appeal an Islamic court’s ruling that guts a law aimed at protecting their rights. The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act was passed by Parliament in 2018 to secure the fundamental rights of transgender Pakistanis. But the Federal Shariat Court struck down several provisions of the law on Friday, terming them “un-Islamic.” It said a person cannot change their gender on the basis of “innermost feeling” or “self-perceived identity” and must conform to the biological sex assigned at the time of birth. The court has the constitutional mandate of examining and determining whether laws passed by Parliament comply with Islamic doctrine.