Malaysian transgenders ‘live in fear’ of arrest and abuse
1 Oct 2014 4:56 AM IST
Using a pseudonym to protect her identity, Aryana is transgender born a man but identifying as a woman and part of a substantial community that complains of rising persecution in the Muslim-majority Southeast Asian country.The 30 year-old was detained for several hours, during which she was roughly handled, pressured to confess and charged a fine.‘It’s difficult. When I wore men’s clothing, it felt like a lie,’ said Aryana, a sex worker with long hair dyed reddish-brown and a heavily-powdered face.
Transgender people are common in Malaysia, typically men whose gender identity is female, but also vice versa. Some undergo sex-change surgery.
But their lives are far different from the famously tolerant stance in Buddhist neighbouring Thailand.
Human Rights Watch said Malaysia is one of the world’s worst countries for transgender people, as it released a report last week detailing social ostracism, discrimination, and harassment, sexual abuse and arrest by authorities. Homosexuality is effectively banned in Malaysia.
Transgender people are common in Malaysia, typically men whose gender identity is female, but also vice versa. Some undergo sex-change surgery.
But their lives are far different from the famously tolerant stance in Buddhist neighbouring Thailand.
Human Rights Watch said Malaysia is one of the world’s worst countries for transgender people, as it released a report last week detailing social ostracism, discrimination, and harassment, sexual abuse and arrest by authorities. Homosexuality is effectively banned in Malaysia.
Next Story
