Bangladesh’s first third gender mosque welcomes outcast community to pray

Bangladesh’s first third gender mosque welcomes outcast community to pray

Transgender hijra people in Bangladesh opened the Muslim-majority country’s first mosque for their community early this month, heralding a new era for the much-discriminated group. The humble structure — a single-room shed with walls and a roof clad in tin — is a new community hub for the minority, who have enjoyed greater legal and political recognition in recent years but still suffer from entrenched prejudice. We look at their emotional journey filled with sorrow and joy as they attempt to integrate themselves into a society that still considers them outcasts.