Kami Sid
Kami Sid | |
|---|---|
| Born | Karachi, Pakistan |
| Citizenship | Pakistan |
| Occupations |
|
| Notable work | Rani, Dil e Nadan |
Kami Sid is a Pakistani transgender fashion model, actor, and LGBTQ rights activist.[1]
Early life and education
Sid was born to a middle-class family in Karachi comprising seven siblings. Sid's father died 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.[2]
Career
In 2012, Sid travelled to Thailand for their first photoshoot. The exposure as Pakistan's first trans model brought about a lot of backlash.[2]
In November 2016, Sid did a photoshoot as a form of protest against the atrocities committed against transgender people in Pakistan.[3] 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.[4]
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.[5][6] She was also cast in a play titled Dil e Nadan, a play based on a trans person and their relationship with society.[7]
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.[8][9] Though Kami rejects the allegations but Aurat March organizers issued a statement that Sid intimidated them.[10][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
- ↑ "Transgender model and activist Kami Sid to star in 'Dil e Nadan'". The Express Tribune. 29 October 2017.
- 1 2 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.
- ↑ Mic. "Kami Sid becomes Pakistan's first transgender model and her debut photoshoot is gorgeous". Mic. Retrieved 2017-03-15.
- ↑ "kami sid, pakistan's first trans model, is fighting for visibility in karachi". I-d. 2017-08-15. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
- ↑ Staff, Images (5 October 2017). "Transgender activist Kami Sid looks unstoppable in the new 'Rani' trailer".
- ↑ "Kami Sid in the 'Rani' trailer is yet again breaking social barriers". 5 October 2017.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ "Social media ablaze with rape allegations against trans activist Kami Sid". The Express Tribune. 2019-05-23. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
- ↑ "Transgender activist Kami Sid accused of rape, making threats | Pakistan Today". www.pakistantoday.com.pk. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
- ↑ Images Staff (2019-05-25). "Organisers of the Aurat March distance themselves from Kami Sid following accusations". Images. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 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.