There is more to a class than just learning how to cook, according to transgender students working on a particularly unique project at a Pakistani culinary school.

Neha Malik made a career dancing at weddings and parties and even working as a prostitute. She has been attending a new transgender course at the Culinary & Hotel Institute of Pakistan since January.

Pakistani culinary school

In January, 25 trans students were accepted into the free six-month program in Pakistan's cultural hub, Lahore; on February 1, the second batch of 25 trans students started training.

Currently, 31-year-old Malik aspires to work as a chef in Dubai, the futuristic, skyscraper-filled United Arab Emirates city.

She never skips a lesson. She continued, "I no longer have time to dance because I am so focused on learning."

Transgender people are frequently viewed as strangers in Pakistan, a conservative Muslim-majority nation where many Pakistanis hold deeply held views about gender and sexuality. To make money, some are compelled to engage in prostitution, dancing, and begging.

Job Refusal to Transgenders

The U.N. According to data released by a development agency last year, the majority of transgender people in Pakistan reported being denied job chances due to their gender identification and experiencing assault or abuse. According to the UNDP, only 7% of workers were in the formal sector.

Overall, the group has seen some improvement in the protection of their rights, and trans women in public office and the media have brought attention to a community that is ignored and misunderstood.

Supreme Court decisions have emphasized that they have the same rights as all Pakistani citizens and permit them to identify as a third gender that is neither male nor female. 

Trans hotline in Pakistan

Pakistan established a trans hotline in 2022, and Lahore received its first ride-sharing service for women and transgender individuals last year in an attempt to shield them from harassment and prejudice.

"Usually, society looks down on us," Malik added. We must alter this way of thinking. People now approach me and inquire about my job when they see me wearing a chef's coat and hat.

According to the institute's CEO, Nadia Shehzad, the project will assist the trans community, a "rejected and ignored sector of society," in receiving equal respect.

The school is attempting to persuade government representatives to grant the prospective cooks visas so they can travel overseas to work, Shehzad stated. After the students graduate, there are discussions with nearby hotels and eateries about employment opportunities, with salaries of up to 30,000 rupees, or roughly $107.

However, trans people find it difficult to give up dancing, begging, and sex work for the culinary program, according to trans community leader Shabnam Chaudry.