📍 Bangladesh 🏳️⚧️ When she was 10 years old, Joya Sikder began to feel and express herself as a girl. Today, she’s a trans woman and human rights defender with over 22 years of work in Bangladesh—advocating for: • The Hijra community, a culturally rooted gender identity from South Asia—representing a diverse community of transgender, intersex, and gender non-conforming people—and recognised as a third gender in Bangladesh. •Awareness of HIV/AIDS and condom use. •Sex workers’ rights. •The inclusion of marginalised women and LGBTQIA+ voices in the UN Universal Periodic Review. As founder and chief executive of Sompurna, Joya continues to champion the rights of transgender and gender-diverse communities. ✨ This International Transgender Day of Visibility, we honour defenders like Joya Sikder who inspire change worldwide. 🔗 Learn more: frontlinedefenders.org/en/profile/joy…
