As much as one would like to think that Malaysia has a perfect society, being a transgender person here means having to live with societal bias and personal prejudice on a regular basis.
In her newly released book, “The Mak Nyahs: Malaysian Male to Female Transsexuals”, retired academic and author Teh Yik Koon argues that while many consider transgender people “unnatural” or “immoral”, their existence is actually rooted in science.
Her research also concluded that in some aspects, life for the transgender community here has become more difficult over the past decades.
Speaking to FMT after the April 1 book launch at Gerakbudaya’s PJ outlet, Teh explained how and why she hoped that the information presented in her book will change the way people view their transgender kin.
“I was a lecturer who was interested in transgender people and nobody in Malaysia had done any research on them,” she told FMT, adding that she wanted to understand why trans people were willing to face the many risks involved to transform themselves physically.
Her curiosity piqued, Teh began conducting her research to deduce if trans people exist because of biology, society or the environment.
“The Mak Nyahs” is actually a reprint of Teh’s landmark study, first published for the public in 2002. More than two decades later, she is distributing her work once more with updated and timely data.
When she began her study in the 1990s, data on the subject was initially scarce. What she did find interesting was that the data available on Malaysian trans folks lined up with similar studies conducted on trans people in other countries.
“Our data is very similar. And when that’s the case, it’s obvious transgenderism is not a cultural or societal phenomenon as different countries have different cultures.”
In the early 2000s, while visiting the University of California in Los Angeles, Teh read papers which proved transgender people were a product of individual biology with no external factors involved.
Other than scientific curiosity, Teh’s interest in the transgender community was driven by a sense of sympathy for the constant challenges they faced.
“I feel very sorry for them. They lead very difficult lives and all these difficulties are caused by other people’s prejudice. To me, we have to do something to help them.”
Teh’s book contains data obtained from interviews with 507 Malaysians who identify as transgender, with respondents hailing from all over the country.
In updating her work, Teh found compelling and heartbreaking evidence that the living standards for transgender people here have deteriorated over the years.
“Back then, the media was sympathetic to the plight of transgender people, and they wrote on how badly treated trans people were,” recalled Teh.
Accurate reporting on trans issues, said Teh, allowed society to view trans people in a more objective and truthful manner.
She said discrimination against transgender people today has been ramped up by certain quarters, which often misunderstand or refuse to understand the community.
This discrimination is often fuelled by religious and political beliefs, making transgender folks easy targets.
One problem, said Teh, is that some are so committed to their political or religious beliefs that they dismiss the trans community outright without bothering to listen to or understand them.
Also present at the launch was lawyer Faiz Syukri, who shared that many trans people are not actually in opposition to religion.
“Trans people have told me that they want access to religion and the only way for that is for religious authorities to open their doors to receive these people.”
He cited the positive example set by Selangor’s religious bodies, but added that many other states have yet to follow it.
“We should bridge the gap between the religious authorities and the trans community, not bring it further apart,” he said.
Meanwhile, commentator and lawyer, Gene Tan said that criminalising and dehumanising this community based on fear and prejudice went against the country’s values of unity, diversity, and inclusion.
If the conversation shifts towards humanity and diversity, transgender people will be accepted on a societal and legal level, he added.
“The basic constitutional right of a transgender and the community to live will never be removed. Logically, they are Malaysians just like everyone else at the end of the day.”
Teh said she hoped her work would reach the public so that they could gain a better understanding of transgender issues instead of discriminating against them.
For any trans folks struggling with their identity, Teh had these kind words: “Be yourself. Be confident. You are made by God and God made you like this. You were born like this. Be who you are.”
‘The Mak Nyahs’ can be ordered directly from Gerakbudaya here. Alternatively, visit a Gerakbudaya outlet to pick up your copy.
Gerakbudaya
2, Jalan Bukit 11/2
Seksyen 11 Petaling Jaya
Selangor