"Bail for 'Same-Sex' Pair in Pakistan"

[-MissS-]

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/6249566.stm

In short: woman has sex change and becomes a man, marries his cousin sister, who only married him so she wouldn't be forced in to another marriage.

Disgusting. What the hell is this world coming to? I feel sorry for that lady who woulda been forced elsewhere otherwise! Women are supposed to have some sort of equal say, especially when it comes to MARRIAGE!

Bail for Pakistan 'same-sex' pair
Shumail Raj
Doctors say Raj is still a woman, despite sex change operations
Pakistan's Supreme Court has ordered that a couple jailed for perjury in a row over the husband's sex should be released on bail, their lawyers say.

The ruling came after a judge agreed to hear appeals against the convictions.

The couple say they are man and wife, but the Lahore high court ruled last month that the husband was, in fact, a woman, despite sex-change surgery.

The case is thought the first of its kind in Pakistan where homosexuality and trans-sexuality are largely taboo.

'Lied'

Shumail Raj, 31, had sex-change surgery to become a man and then married Shahzina Tariq, 24, a cousin.


The judgement of the high court has been suspended and the Supreme Court has ordered their release
Lawyer Babar Awan

She was aware of his condition but says she needed his help to avoid being forced into wedlock with someone else.

The couple originally sought the protection of the courts but were arrested last month after the bride's family questioned whether Raj was a man.

Judges in Lahore jailed the couple for three years and fined them 10,000 Pakistani rupees ($165).

They found that the couple had lied about Raj's sexual status and said their marriage was un-Islamic because it was same-sex.

But on Thursday, the couple's lawyers said their convictions had been set aside.

"The judgement of the high court has been suspended and the Supreme Court has ordered their release," said lawyer Babar Awan, Reuters news agency reports.

Bail is reported to have been set at 50,000 rupees ($825) each.

No date has been given for the appeal hearing to begin.

'Against Islam'

Raj is reported to have undergone surgery twice in Pakistan over the past 16 years to become a man.

Shumail Raj (left) and Shahzina Tariq
Shumail Raj (left) and Shahzina Tariq appealed to the president

But tests carried out by doctors on behalf of the Lahore high court ruled that Raj, who has a beard and moustache, was still a woman.

Raj himself says that he needs to go abroad for more treatment even though his breasts and uterus have been removed.

Ms Tariq's family wants to annul the wedding on the grounds that it is against Islam for two women to marry.

But the couple argue that they married to protect the bride from being sold into marriage to pay off her uncle's gambling debts.

Ms Tariq says they are not homosexuals and they married because they are in love.

[SEXC_BOI]

DISGUSTING! thats just wrong, what happened to human rights? totally wrong in my opinion but obviousli he/she disagrees. Surely marrying anyone else would have been better or more convenient than marrying someone who has had a sex change eww :$ and whats with the force thing, i thought the days of forced marriages were coming to an end, apparently not!

[-MissS-]

Shaf.... I'm simply picking on the things that are debateable issues.

The beard wouldn't be stuck on. In order for a woman to become a man, her uterus being removed would stop hormones such as oestrogen being released, and by taking drugs containing testosterone (either orally or by injection), she could then develop male characteristics.

[cuzzy]

that is so disgusting man ewww
having intercourse with the same sex blimey tis beyond ones imagination

[* Adnan *]

That is just disgusting !

[paki_girl_19]

oh my god.. what is the world coming to !!

[Maliya]

Surely if both people are happy with the marriage then no one else should have a problem with it
The woman seemed aware of the fact that the man she was marrying was infact a woman before
If it is legal for gay's n lesbians to get married why should it be any different for transexuals or those who have had sex reassignment surgery?
Personally, I do beleieve that things like this are not "normal" but at the end of the day the two people mentioned in the article above are not hurting anyone so who are we to say its disgusting and wrong.

Maliya
-x-

[cuzzy]

who are we to say it is digusting or wrong?

erm we are expressing our opinions just like you have so you cant really say we cant sey its disgusting..i think its so sick partly because its probably the first case ive hard of like this and tis lyk SHOCKING news to me...my opinion is also influenced due to religion but ama keep da out... [/quote]