Malaysia is a Southeast-Asian country that is famously known as a multiracial nation that has a majority and minority races living as one in the same sovereign states. Despite the unfortunate events of the occasional racist acts and prejudiced speeches, the recent heated clashes the Malaysians and the governing party have been in regards to the general election postponement, we still have hopes that the citizens are still wholly attempting to create a more desirable environment for everyone including the LGBT community and the upcoming generations.
While we; the younger people of this nation try to be as optimistic and auspicious in this demandingly trying condition, we are still woefully met with undeniably disappointing news concerning the threatened LGBT community in this country.
Throughout the past years, LGBT rights have been violated horrifyingly. What is more heartbreakingly shocking is the state of laws that are being used in Malaysia right now have been depriving this community of being protected lawfully just like any other human being.
Biased Laws That Endanger The LGBT Community
According to Queer Lapis, a dedicated blog that embraces the circle while concurrently strives for more satisfactory living surroundings for the LGBTQ+ community, as Malaysia is still following a portion of colonial-era laws, there are sadly anti-LGBTQ+ laws here.
In the state shariah laws, an apparent biased enactment is vividly seen where there are huge differential gaps in between the homosexuals, lesbians and transgenders. It is even more appalling that all 14 states in Malaysia have punishable laws towards males posing as females as in donning women’s clothes and such whereas less than 3 states prosecute women posing as men.
There is no clear interpretation of the said ‘unnatural sexual intercourse’ as different states define the act ever so differently from one another. This does not only cause the community to face charges but also to what unknown extent the punishment will have gone on.
As there is an insufficiency of information in their explanation as no further remarks are given due to the injustice towards the LGBT rights, these biased laws, in no other words, are deliberately pointed towards the transgenders of Malaysian nationality.
Law Enforcers’ Bigotness Towards Transgenders
Just recently in early March, the successful trans cosmetic entrepreneur, Nur Sajat has been called to the shariah court hearing where she fails to attend. Her disappearance has added fuel in the direction of the state of Selangor’s Islamic Religious Department (JAIS).
JAIS has made an official announcement in relations to deploying almost 122 religious officers to arrest her for her attendance failure to the court.
About three years ago, Nur Sajat was prosecuted for dressing as a woman. This prolonged case is due to her AWOL in the court of the appointed date. As the hearing was brought on March 1st, she refused to make an appearance still.
Regrettably, until today, the officers are still going after Sajat’s trails as she is in hiding. In one of her Instagram live, she stated in misery and teary-eyed that she feels it is better for her to renounce her religion due to the unending and unfair repression she has to deal with every day.
This is sadly what most trans women have to go through while living in this country. The biased and unfair laws towards LGBT rights are putting themselves in dire danger and for them to give in must be a living hell.
Due to the still commonly practised unlawful decrees towards the LGBT people, so many innocent lives are sacrificed as LGBTQ+ community are negatively viewed by the public.
LGBTQ+ Victims Of The Inhumane Treatments
Here are some of the sufferers of the prominent injustice of the laws:
Sameera Krishnan
In Kuantan city in 2017, a 27-year-old trans woman was found brutally with multiple gunshots while her body was mutilated. Sameera who worked as a florist did not survive the vile attack and had her funeral on her birthday.
It is reported her murder was linked to a kidnapping case where she was the prime witness who had been set for a hearing. While this case was categorized as other than a hate crime, however, human and LGBT rights activists are sure her being trans is a part of the initiative.
T. Nhaveen
Tragically bullied to death in George Town, a young 17-year-old schoolboy named T. Nhaveen who was severely tortured when he was just innocently buying a burger with a friend was pronounced brain dead when his body arrived at the hospital.
He who had a big dream of being a composer was being the target of endless bullying due to his effeminate being.
Tharani
A transgender woman who works as a hospital cleaner called Tharani is in a ruthless battle with a corporate giant which has been making it hard for her to fulfill her duty. The company she works for has been urging her to dress as her former identity by donning masculine clothes, cutting her hair, and removing the accessories and whatnot, which she refuses.
Tharani is now still fighting her and LGBT rights. She hopes for more to be inspired and stand up for themselves.
Nur Sajat
A Muslim entrepeneur Nur Sajat who is previously active on her social media has been receiving death threats since the first time she started uploading her feminine, curvy-bodied pictures. After years of ignoring the hurtful comments by the cruel netizens and being called by her deadname as a joke, she has closed her Instagram comment section and focuses solely on building her business.
Ways To Reduce Bad Perceptions On LGBT Community
The LGBTQ+ community has to face a maddening amount of hatred everyday in their lives for being true to themselves. Many of them are still hiding their sexual preferences in their closets away from anyone’s knowledge due to the unfortunate negative impacts it will put them towards such as bullying, isolation and worse; being banished from their home shelters.
One of the small steps you can take in changing the ugly perspective of people towards the LGBT community is to treat them indifferently. In the real world, a lot of LGBT people have to go through a seclusion phase when they come out. The best you can do is be there for your friends who have just made such an enormous decision as that.
Another way the public can do is to educate themselves. One of the contributing factors to people’s distorted opinions on LGBT people is supporting same-sex relationships or intercourse will increase the risk of spreading HIV/AIDS, STDs, and other diseases. The key point here is to practice safe sex protection. Anyone who does not take precautions while doing sexual intercourse is at risk of being diagnosed with it. It is not precisely spread by same-sex couples but everyone else too.
In conclusion, Malaysia has a long way to go in uniting the nation as one. Inclusivity is one way to gather each one of us but that is the thing we still need to work on. If one’s race is deemed as superior to others, one gender is better than another, then the situations will never charge towards the lights. We need to respect people’s personal choices without questioning them because we have no rights to them.
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