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print versionnpr.org, 17 January 2011
by Habiba Nosheen
The names in this story have been changed to protect the women’s identities out of concern for their safety.
Five years ago, Fatima was 23 and studying law in Lahore, Pakistan. She wore blue jeans and a loose shirt and sported short boyish hair. That was the first sign she wasn’t a typical Pakistani woman.
She leaned in to share a secret she had revealed to only a few other people before: "I’m lesbian," she said hesitantly.
"I think I knew since a very early age," she said. "It felt quite isolating, I feel. Like, I didn’t see people or kids around me feel the same way."
In an Islamic country like Pakistan, lesbians can be imprisoned for life. However, Fatima says, it is not the law that gays and lesbians fear — it’s family and neighbors, whom she suspects murder many gays and lesbians in honor killings [. . .].
Audio duration: 7 min 20 sec
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