That’s not my title, it is the title of an episode of the Crossing Continents series on Radio 4. In it, BBC journalist Mobeen Azhar talks to a variety of trans-identified people in Pakistan. They include Kami Sid, a well known trans model, members of a traditional Khwaja Sira group (similar to India Hijra), and Mani, a trans man.

The most interesting thing to me about this is the contrast between trans debates in Pakistan and those we have here. In Pakistan the Khwaja Sira tradition dates back at least as far as the Mughal Empire (1526-1857), probably a lot further. Though they may live as women, Khwaja Sira identify as third gender, in a large part because their definition of “woman” is based on the ability to procreate. As the radio interview shows, modern Khwaja Sira take a dim view of Western trans people who identify within the gender binary.

In contrast, in the West, what little tradition we have is based in a highly medicalized view of trans identities in which only those people who identify as men or women have been seen as valid. These days we are seeing a lot more visibility in the West of people who identify outside of the gender binary. Some binary-identified trans people, such as TV presenter India Willoughby, look down on non-binary people in very much the same way that older Pakistani Khwaja Sira look down on binary-identified trans people.

The lesson from this should be obvious. Trans people come in many different types. How they identify can vary enormously, and may in part be determined by the culture in which they have grown up. One person’s view of their identity should not invalidate anyone else’s identity. There’s enough room in this world for all of us, and goddess knows we have enough enemies without fighting among ourselves.