Trans Rights

Transgenders meet mufti to end discrimination against them

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Source: Free Malaysia Today

PETALING JAYA: A non-governmental organisation (NGO) met Federal Territory mufti Zulkifli Mohammad in an effort to help promote understanding and end discrimination against the transgender community.

Pertubuhan Kesihatan dan Kebajikan Malaysia (PKKUM) said the discussion between transgender activists and the Federal Territory Mufti’s Office yesterday had strengthened ties between the transgender community and religious authorities.

The discussion came after Zulkifli expressed interest in helping them.

The founder of PKKUM, Elisha Kor Krishnan, said the meeting discussed the need to encourage interpretation of the Quran and Hadith to create greater awareness among the general populace on transgender issues.

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FT Mufti backs call to revisit edict against transgenders

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Source: Malay Mail Online

PETALING JAYA, Feb 15 — Religious authorities should revisit a fatwa (edict) declaring transgenderism as un-Islamic, according to Federal Territories Mufti Datuk Zulkifli Mohamad al-Bakri who said the phenomenon is not inherently wrong.

In a meeting with Pertubuhan Kesihatan dan Kebajikan Umum Malaysia (PKKUM) founder Elisha Kor Krishnan yesterday, Zulkifli also expressed his intention to work closely to help the group.

Citing Islamic teachings, he said there was a need to distinguish between men who impersonate as women (Mukhannath bi al-takalluf) and those who are born physically male but possess a female gender identity (Mukhannath min Kalqin).

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Enough with ‘pondan’ and other media distortions of transgenders — Eric Paulsen

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Source: Free Malaysia Today

BY ERIC PAULSEN

In the latest twist to the ongoing Nur Sajat saga, the well-known cosmetic entrepreneur bemoaned the preoccupation of the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) and the public over her gender identity.

“This gender issue… is like the country’s biggest issue,” she wrote in Malay on her Facebook page. She continued: “Should Nur Sajat’s issues really be the topic of conversation in this country? Think about it!”

Despite the public embarrassment, however, Nur Sajat’s story represents an opportunity to start a conversation that has been put off for far too long. Transgender persons in Malaysia are often vilified by means of misrepresentation in the news media.

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Gender identity not determined by genitals, civil societies insist amid Nur Sajat’s test

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Source: Malay Mail Online

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 25 — A coalition of NGOs has slammed the federal Islamic authority over a “gender test” on celebrity entrepreneur Nur Sajat Kamaruzzaman, explaining today that one’s genitals do not determine his or her gender identity.

The groups stressed that nobody should be forced to undergo gender or medical tests to prove their gender identity, and Putrajaya should instead implement meaningful measures to increase understanding and educate government agencies and the public regarding gender identity and gender-based bullying and violence.

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Transwomen learn how to advocate their rights

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Source: Malay Mail Online

Rania Zara says Ikon TW is not a beauty contest. ― Picture by Hari Anggara via Malay Mail Online

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 20 ― About a year ago, Rania Zara signed up for a programme that would eventually lead her and 17 others on a life-changing journey.

They underwent training on topics such as legal rights, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and HIV/AIDS.

That year-long journey culminated last Sunday when Rania was chosen as Ikon TW.

Ikon TW, organised by Pertubuhan Kebajikan Sinar Pelangi (PKSP) and supported by the Malaysian AIDS Council, is a platform to create awareness among younger transwomen on pertinent subjects that affect them.

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Planting seeds of hope for elderly, homeless transgenders

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Source: Written by Low Han Shaun for The Malaysian Insight

People at The Seed Transgender Home for the elderly

The Seed Transgender Home for the elderly, the first of its kind in Malaysia, can house a maximum of 10 people. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Kamal Ariffin, January 15, 2018.

FROM the time she discovered she was “different” at the age of 17, transgender Alice (not her real name) was prepared for a life alone, and was intent on ensuring she would be financially independent.

However, after working as a chef for 30 years, Alice finds herself today penniless, riddled with sickness and homeless at 50, after she was thrown out of her family home last year.

“I am 50 years old now, I have hepatitis C, heart problems and kidney problems from an accident that I had in 1996,” she said.

“My mother died last year, and my father died when I was 15,” she said, adding that after her mother’s death, her brother sold the family home, forcing her to become homeless.

Alice slept on the streets of Kuala Lumpur for a year before she found out about Seed Transgender Home for the elderly, the first of its kind in Malaysia.

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