The Gender Guardian was conceived with the idea of educating and empowering one of Pakistan’s most marginalized communities, the transgender community. What started off as a mere idea transformed itself into a reality with the help of my team. To us, what mattered was the lack of initiative being taken to educate the Khawaja Sira community. All around us, we saw initiatives being taken to build schools and institutions that care for the old, the orphans and the disabled. But what about the transgender community of Pakistan, I thought. Potential and talent knew no bounds, and that realization is what pushed me to start this school. I realized that the Khawaja Sira community was more than just dances, music and beggary. If given the resources to advance their skills, they would undoubtedly be able to tear down preconceived notions alluding to their worth and position in society.

Education and qualification are what distinguish person from person. I sought to make the idea of meritocracy true for the Khawaja Sira community by giving them access to knowledge and training, in order to help integrate them into mainstream society. Islamic history symbolizes the transformative power of education. The ignorance of the Arabs transformed into the wisdom of the people of Arabia when Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) brought forth a revolutionary emphasis on education, grooming and etiquettes. There is nothing education cannot do.

To me, The Gender Guardian is more than just a school. It is a place where the transgender community feels at home. It is a place where the transgender community does not feel threatened. And that is what The Gender Guardian stands for.