Rezwana Masnun Saima, a 4th-year student at Dhaka University, led a project to counter hate against the transgender community on campus. Along with three team members, she started this initiative in September 2023 after participating in the DFTP Summer course.
Bangladesh has seen a lot of misunderstanding about transgender issues, leading to hate speech on social media. Right-wing groups have framed transgender identities as conflicting with religious values. Dhaka University’s new admission quota for transgender students, a transgender chapter in class 7 textbooks, and the release of the drama “Rupantor” also faced backlash and online hate.
To tackle this, Saima’s team organized community dialogues, shared positive story videos, and held one-on-one conversations to raise awareness and advocate for the transgender community. The dialogues involved 30-40 people, and their videos reached almost 2,000 people. They also had personal conversations with 40-50 individuals to directly address misinformation.
The project was successful in breaking down prejudices and creating a more inclusive campus environment. Community dialogues and videos helped reduce ignorance and promote understanding, while one-on-one conversations effectively changed individual perceptions.
Overall, Saima’s project fostered a more supportive and informed community, inspiring similar efforts and contributing to a positive shift in attitudes towards the transgender community in Bangladesh.