Belonging Beyond Margins: Relocation, Housing Insecurity, and Naming Politics of Young Transgender People in Pakistan

Gender-nonbinary people, commonly known as khwaja sira/ hijra in Pakistan, challenge the normative social and cultural expectations and consequently, face high levels of housing insecurity and familial rejection. Belonging is a strategy that is experienced and performed within trans communal spaces through the relocation, naming politics, and social affiliation with other members of their community. This study explored the challenges that khwaja sira negotiate as they attempt to create a sense of community belonging. After being forced out of or running away from their homes of origin, many khwaja sira join other members of their community by living together in a communal home, known as a dera . As a marginalized community, khwaja sira establish alternative kinship networks and communal homes that offer both physical safety and emotional affirmation. Using qualitative face to face semi structured interviews with participants, this paper situates the lived experiences of khwaja sira within a broader queer theoretical framework by analyzing the transcripts of 10 semi-structured interviews with khwaja sira. Study results reveal that khawaja sira actively reimagine their belonging as a mode of resistance and resilience, asserting their gender and sexual identities in ways that confront their housing insecurity and social marginalization. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of belonging and gendered subjectivity in postcolonial Islamic contexts. Our research also offers insights into how khwaja sira in Pakistan navigate the intersections of identity, space, and survival, ultimately challenging dominant sociocultural norms and asserting their gender and place within Pashtun society.