Hundreds of transgender Pakistanis and supporters protested against surging inflation in the southern city of Karachi on Wednesday, as a spike in prices amid the Middle East war disproportionately hits the vulnerable community.
Though Pakistan's transgender community has received legal protections in recent years, many face social and family stigma, often leading to economic deprivation that forces some to earn an income from begging.
The country, a key mediator between the United States and Iran, has seen soaring prices that threatened an already fragile economy during months of fighting and disruptions to global energy shipments.
Demonstrators in Pakistan's largest city chanted and held up signs emblazoned with slogans such as "high fuel prices, empty plates" and called for relief from spiking prices and help finding secure employment.
"We beg on the streets, you beg at the IMF," read one protester's sign -- a reference to Pakistan's multi-billion dollar bailout deal with the global lender.
