Pakistan: the Double Life
This combination of two images taken on Thursday, January 15, 2015, shows Pakistani Riasat Hussain, 19, posing for a picture at a friend’s place in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Across conservative Pakistan, where Islamic extremists launch near-daily attacks and many follow a strict interpretation of their Muslim faith, male cross-dressers and the transgendered face a challenge of balancing two identities. Some left their villages for the anonymity of a big city, fearing the reactions of their families while still concealing their identity from neighbors and co-workers. (Photo by Muhammed Muheisen/AP Photo)
This combination of two images taken on Monday, January 12, 2015, shows Pakistani Tahir Abbas, 26, posing for a picture in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. (Photo by Muhammed Muheisen/AP Photo)
This combination of two images taken between Thursday, Jan. 8, 2015 and Friday, January 9, 2015, shows Pakistani Bakhtawar Ijaz, 43, posing for a picture in an alley of a neighborhood in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. “I am a very shy man. Eyes always follow me when I walk out of the apartment that I share with a few friends who share the same job like mine (as) dancers”, says Ijaz. “Being with them is like being with a family. When I am surrounded by them, I feel safe, respected and empowered”. (Photo by Muhammed Muheisen/AP Photo)
This combination of two images taken on Thursday, January 8, 2015, shows Pakistani Arfeen Nasar, 49, posing for a picture at his place in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. (Photo by Muhammed Muheisen/AP Photo)
This combination of two images taken between Thursday, Jan. 8, 2015 and Monday, January 12, 2015, shows Pakistani Amjad Mahmoud, 44, reflected in a mirror while posing for a picture at his place, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Mahmoud, proudly identifies as transgendered. “The only thing I can’t do as a woman is conceive babies”, Amjad says. (Photo by Muhammed Muheisen/AP Photo)
This combination of two images taken between Friday, January 9, 2015 and Saturday, Jan. 10, 2015, shows Pakistani Waseem Akram, 27, posing for a picture in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. By day, Akram sells mobile phone accessories from an alleyway shop in an old neighborhood of this Pakistani city. But by night, Akram stands before a mirror, shaving away his beard and picking through mascara and rouge to become Rani, a female wedding party dancer. (Photo by Muhammed Muheisen/AP Photo)
Pakistani Waseem Akram, 27, applies makeup on his face as he prepares himself for a party at a friend’s place in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, January 10, 2015. (Photo by Muhammed Muheisen/AP Photo)
Pakistani Waseem Akram, 27, prepares himself for a party at a friend’s place in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Saturday, January 10, 2015. (Photo by Muhammed Muheisen/AP Photo)
Pakistani Waseem Akram, 27, applies makeup on his face using natural light due to a power cut, as he prepares himself for a party at a friend’s place in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Saturday, January 10, 2015. (Photo by Muhammed Muheisen/AP Photo)
Pakistani Waseem Akram, 27, dances during a private party in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. By day, Akram sells mobile phone accessories from an alleyway shop in an old neighborhood of this Pakistani city, Thursday, January 15, 2015. (Photo by Muhammed Muheisen/AP Photo)