She said she wants to lead a normal life like other people

Born and raised in Rajbari, Tanisha Yeasmin Chaity has become the first transgender official in Bangladesh's state-run human rights watchdog – the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

Chaity’s journey was not smooth by any means, including her arrival in Dhaka, obtaining a standard job, and building a safe life.

Chaity joined NHRC as an executive on July 1 as a part of the organisation’s plan to accommodate marginalized groups of society.

“The journey was not an easy one. I was by born a male child, but at the age of five, I began realizing that I wanted to be a girl. Afterwards, when I was 11-12 years old, I started changing myself despite the fact that it was not accepted by my family,” Chaity told the Dhaka Tribune.

According to Chaity, she felt something inside, but was unable to make her family understand it.

Chaity wanted for a better life, and thus returned to her home and joined a school to get an education. She completed her Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) exams while living at her house. During that time, she would sometimes go to members of the community to collect money—when required.

After her HSC, Chaity started working with non-government organisations that work with transgender people.