Bangladesh's first transgender news reader takes to the airwaves

Tashnuva Anan Shishir survived assault, bullying and suicide attempts to become a trailblazer for the LGBT community

To cheers from colleagues, Bangladesh's first transgender news presenter broke down in tears , but only after her word-perfect debut was beamed to the nation and the cameras were off.

Bangladesh is home to an estimated 1.5 million transgender people, who face rampant discrimination and violence and are often forced to live by begging, the sex trade or crime.