How life is tough for transgender people in conservative Malaysia, who face violence, religious and official bias, and abusive media
With laws passed to curtail their freedom, fatwa issued against them, little chance of reassignment surgery and no legal access to hormones, transgenders in Malaysia rely on support groups and the internet for help and guidance
When Adam, a Chinese Malaysian, was seven years old he grappled with his masculine feelings, while family members pushed him to behave and dress like a girl, the gender he was born with. Not being able to talk to them about what he was experiencing was distressing.
When he reached puberty, Adam (not his real name) began menstruating and his breasts started to develop, exacerbating his mental health issues.
“I think that was the height of [gender] dysphoria for me. This was when I realised [my female sex and gender] were things I did not want,” says Adam, 29, who lives in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur.
He later discovered a local transgender community and learned about transitioning – the process of changing one’s gender presentation – and that gave him hope.
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There are no official statistics for the number of transgender people in Malaysia, but a 1998 study by HIV education and outreach organisation PT Foundation estimated there could be about 10,000 out of a total population of 31 million. The majority are ethnic Malays, while those of Chinese and Indian descent represent 27.5 per cent and 7.8 per cent, respectively, the study estimated.
Transgender people have long born the brunt of anti-LGBT sentiment in culturally conservative Malaysia. They suffer state-sanctioned discrimination, are stigmatised by the media and have inadequate access to medical care. Many seek sex reassignment surgery for the sake of their sanity.
