The rights and lives of sexual minorities in Asia and Africa have been hot topics in the media in the last year. Uganda, Nigeria, India, Lebanon have all witnessed major changes in addressing these lives. What is happening in Pakistan, where stigma and taboos hinder open discussion of such topics among the middle class, and where the media focus tends to lean towards drones, bombs and other myriad difficulties?
“Hide and Seek” (Chuppan Chupai in Urdu) by Saad Khan and Saadat Munir is a Pakistani-Danish documentary that highlights the lives and concerns of non-straight people in Pakistan – some who identify as “gay” or “trans”, some who use other terms not in currency in the West.
Saad Khan has traveled to numerous countries such as Denmark, Canada, Dubai, London, and Spain and the film has won various “Best Documentary” awards. It follows four individuals with distinct life stories as they describe their lives under Pakistan’s current laws and raise questions about trans-gender activism, gay life, and family customs of trans-genders (and hijra) in Pakistan. Come join Harvard Pakistan and organizations from across Harvard (College, HKS, Divinity, Law School) to watch this amazing documentary. After the screening, there will be a live discussion with filmmaker Saad Khan and Abbas Jaffer, doctoral candidate in social anthropology at Harvard.
The event will be held at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, at the Starr Auditorium in Belfer Hall.
Don’t miss the chance to see an impacting and positive movie that is pushing for human rights in Pakistan.
Watch the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0qpOPqLI5M
Monday, April 14, 2014
6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Cosponsored with SAI, Harvard Pakistan Student Group, Pakistan Caucus (Kennedy School), Muslim Council (Harvard Divinity School), Queer Rites (Harvard Divinity School), Harvard Lambda (Harvard Law School), South Asia Caucus (Kennedy School), LGBT Caucus (Kennedy School)