“I was born free and have been given the right to live my life with my own choice but unfortunately my family, friends, professional colleagues, as well as religious leaders attached with local Masjid, are not allowing me to live my life as I want to live with happiness and joy,” said Muhammad Imran, a native from Lahore. Imran is doing his business as a supplier of beauty items and renowned cosmetic brands. He is a young gay man from Lahore, Pakistan who “recognised himself” and felt different from others at a very young age but was not allowed to express his feelings. Like other gay boys, Imran tried his best to be accepted but nothing ever worked for him. During grade school, college and even in his professional life, he felt cornered; exposed to bullying by family members, classmates and colleagues. Pakistan is a third world country where more than 38 per cent of the population is living under the poverty line while about 97 per cent of Pakistanis are Muslims. Pakistan has the second-largest number of Muslims in the world after Indonesia. The majority are Sunni (90 per cent) while Shias make up between five and seven per cent. Smaller minority Muslim populations in Pakistan include Quranists, nondenominational Muslims. In Pakistan, the Hindus constitute 1.6 per cent of the population and were estimated to be 3.6 million (3.6 million) in 2018. Nearly all Hindus and Sikhs from Pakistan migrated to India since the majority lived close to the Indian border. When it comes to sexuality, hypocrisy and double standards make it unsustainable for the gender minorities The Quran narrates the story of the “people of Lot” destroyed by the wrath of God because the men engaged in lustful carnal acts between themselves. Some hadith collections also condemn homosexual and transgender acts; prescribing the death penalty for male homosexual intercourse. Though homosexual acts are forbidden in traditional Islamic jurisprudence, they are liable to different punishments, including the death penalty, depending on the situation and legal school. However, homosexual relationships were generally tolerated in pre-modern Islamic societies, and historical records suggest that these laws were invoked infrequently, mainly in the cases of rape or other “exceptionally blatant infringement on public morals.” Pakistan is a country where the number of homosexuals may have risen to somewhere between 70,000 and 80,000 people, and possibly as high as 210,000 (as in the UNAIDS Pakistan reports). More than 200 thousand gays are forced either by their family, friends or some religious pressure to hide their identity. To be a gender minority in Pakistan is the worst. This is a country where discrimination based on colour, caste, race and wealth is very common. When it comes to sexuality, hypocrisy and double standards make it unsustainable for the gender minorities. It’s easier to live a hidden life than to live one openly in public. Attitudes toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people and their experiences in the Muslim world have been influenced by its religious, legal, social, political, and cultural history. Pakistan has been known to foster practices like Bacha Bazi and/or Dancing Boys in its northwestern province. There are several self-declared vigilante groups who patrol the countryside looking to catch people in the act and punish them In the 1980s, the rules against LGBT community stiffened even more under the sixth president of Pakistan, General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq. The punishment for homosexual activities increased to life imprisonment or even death by stoning as a result of the Sharia Law added to Pakistan Penal Code. The religious leaders of Pakistan have consistently forbidden and condemned LGBT activities as being immoral under the constitution of Islam. In accordance with Islamic Law, homosexual marriage is condemned and not recognised as legitimate. People in Pakistan who consider themselves to be a part of the LGBT community do not expose their sexual preference in public due to the fear of being looked down upon or physically attacked. Cases of violence against members of the LGBT community are very common in Pakistan. Members of the LGBT community in Pakistan rarely report assaults committed against them to the police. In fact, the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRBC) noted in January 2014 that if an LGBT person who faced threats from family or community members went to the police, the police “may become an accomplice rather than a protector.” According to Trans Action Alliance, as of June 2019, there were more than 470 cases of violence against transgender people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa alone and 62 transgender people had been killed since January 2015. There are reports that show that violence against transgender individuals has been increasing every year. Very often when these cases are reported to the police, they may be met with inaction or indifference. Though Pakistan has signed different declaration and made promises with the international community to uplift standards of its people’s life unfortunately our community, especially the “so-called religious leaders” are basic hurdle between gay and their rights. Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) Article 25 contends that states must also take action to ensure that all citizens enjoy an adequate standard of living. It recognises food, clothing, housing, health care and social services as essential components of a standard of living adequate for health and well-being but still, Pakistan is not fulfilling its promises with the international community. The future is all about us (LGBT). People are embracing themselves and spreading awareness in their own capacity. LGBT people are uniting slowly, putting aside the differences within the community. Definitely, the results of undercover campaigns and efforts will be seen soon. The writer is a freelancer