A 21-year old journalist from Pakistan made headlines this week when she became the first transgender news anchor in her country. Marvia Malak was hired at Kohenoor News after her boss, Bilal Ashraf, said that when going through Malik’s audition he hadn’t realized that she was transgender. Ashraf said that the news station tries to be inclusive. “We aim to be a more progressive news channel for Pakistan, providing opportunities to the disabled, women and individuals from all sorts of background,” Ashraf said. The Kohenoor News director also had an encouraging message, saying, “We will not discriminate, everyone has dreams, everyone has goals and so much of that talent gets thrown into the dustbin, undiscovered, simply because of the biases in society.”

This is what Marvia Malik believes is the first step to change, but she insists that more needs to be done in terms of improving the lives of the transgender community in Pakistan. Malik said that she applied for the position to prove that people from the transgender community can do anything. “I want to prove that trans people are capable of any job, and can do anything they want,” Malik said. “I want to show the country that we are more than objects of ridicule – that we are also human.”

Malik felt that she could be a role model for future trans children. “I want the next generation of young transgender kids to look up to me as an inspiration that they can be accepted and that there can be opportunities for them.” She said that she wanted to show the transgender youth that they could overcome anything and become anything. When Malik was only 15 years old, she was kicked out by her family after finding out she was trans. She was forced to support herself financially and work her hardest to become who she is today. Malik hoped her story would inspire her community and make a change in her country.

Pakistan is making progress in terms of transgender acceptance and representation beyond the news station. Earlier this month the country’s senate passed a bill protecting the rights of transgender individuals. While the bill was praised by rights groups and activists, Malik insists that there needs to be a change in society’s attitudes for such laws to actually be taken seriously and implemented.

Junior Sheridan Culp shared her feelings and support for Malik and the rest of the transgender community in Pakistan. “I think its awesome,” Culp shared. “She is going to be such an inspiration for kids to look up to. I think that she is just another example of the world progressing and the positive changes that can still be made to our society.”