A*, a 22-year-old transgender woman, celebrated for her mesmerising performances at wedding parties, saw her life take a devastating turn when she was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. The news of the deadly, yet treatable disease was like a bomb shell for her, but instead of seeking timely treatment, she kept her diagnosis hidden from her peers due to fear of losing her livelihood and being evicted from the shared room she called home after leaving her family in Rawalpindi. “A’s health began to decline with weakness and anaemia clearly visible in her body. Yet, she dismissed it each time and blamed relentless fever as the sole cause of her suffering,” recalls her colleague, W*. “Dancing at weddings and social gatherings while battling illness became exhausting for A and her health deteriorated rapidly due to avoiding medical treatment, leaving her bedridden within months,” shares S*, a roommate of A, who served as her chaperone during visits to marriage gatherings. S said he took A to Peshawar’s Lady Reading Hospital...