Kami Sid
Kami Sid is the first Pakistani trans person to rise to prominence as a fashion model. Sid is also an actor and LGBTQ rights activist.[1]
Early life
Sid was born to a middle-class family in Karachi comprising seven siblings. Sid's father passed away 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]
Professional life and activism
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] Of Sid's performance in the film, the Daily Pakistan said that Sid "is a force of nature in it".[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]
References
- "Transgender model and activist Kami Sid to star in 'Dil e Nadan' - The Express Tribune". 29 October 2017.
- 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".
- "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.