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Abstract
This research examines the phenomenon of progressive legislations passed in otherwise conservative countries. The explanations focus on how the domestic and international avenues of political engagement and activism need to inter-lap for such legislations to pass. International instances of signaling, deflection and reputation are interlinked with domestic factors such as protests, public contention and local political elite to create the conditions necessary for passing such legislations. The socio-political cleavages in this research focus on the Khwaja Sira (Transgender) community in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. In 2018, Pakistan's Supreme Court issued a decision that would go down in history as a watershed event for the transgender population and the country as a whole. This was seen as the monumental step towards progress for Pakistan's transgender population and claimed by the International Commission of Jurists as globally one of the most progressive laws on transgender community. Pakistan's transgender minority has endured prejudice and isolation since the country's inception. Trans identifying individuals in Pakistan face severe stigmatization and otherness, and have been forced to live on the periphery of society as a result. Over time, both the government and society have seen these individuals and groups as outsiders, deviants, or a threat to the basis upon which society is constructed. The goal of this research is to question why despite the heavy social cost, a progressive bill was passed by the Pakistani government. Drawing on domestic and international explanations, this research identifies the politics (local and global) behind progressive legislations in non-consolidated, conservative countries. I aim to explore the socio-political and cultural knots using a mixed methods analysis. Quantitatively, the correlation between UN Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) voting records and the LGBTQ+ Global Index conceptualizes the international influence on a state’s strategic policies. The work also utilizes qualitative analysis of online content by queer activists, annotation of the passed bill itself and work done by the senators. By choosing the specific case of Pakistan, I also address some common misconceptions about the trans community and hope to encourage conversations around queerness in Pakistan. The findings inspect why the trans bill of 2018 was passed and annotates the effectiveness of the state's international strategic goals