In Malaysia, Muslim Trans Women Find Their Own Paths

Chow Kit is a neighborhood in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, that was once a bustling red-light district in the 1970s and 1980s. Today, it has fewer than 20 sex workers visible at night due to economic decline and increased surveillance by Islamic authorities. Many of these workers are transgender women who migrated from rural areas to begin their transition. They often face discrimination in employment, leaving sex work as their only survival option. During fieldwork in 2018, the author met Dora, a trans woman and advocate, who described Chow Kit as a place where trans people are seen as 'nobody.' The area’s abandoned rainbow confetti hints at past celebrations, possibly LGBTQ+ events, now overshadowed by conservative pressures. The decline of sex work in Chow Kit reflects broader economic struggles and the tightening control of Islamic institutions over public morality.

In Malaysia, both state and religious institutions enforce conservative interpretations of Islam, criminalizing transgender identities under sharia and civil law. Trans women can be arrested for 'posing as a woman' and subjected to jail, fines, or religious 'counseling.' They face exclusion from jobs, humiliation, and abuse. The Department of Islamic Development (JAKIM), which oversees sharia implementation, launched programs in 2011 to 'rehabilitate' LGBTQ+ Muslims, including Mukhayyam camps. These camps, held at tourist locations, include prayers, religious classes, and activities like jungle trekking to 'enhance masculine features.' Officially framed as vocational training, they promote the idea that being transgender is sinful and can be 'cured.' Trans women who attended these programs reported understanding their true purpose: to convince them their identities were wrong.

Malaysia’s Mukhayyam camps and similar programs share characteristics with conversion therapy, which claims to 'cure' LGBTQ+ identities through harmful methods like exorcism, medication, confinement, or abuse. While JAKIM denies these parallels, NGOs and rights groups have documented coercive techniques, including verbal, physical, and sexual abuse. Globally, organizations like Amnesty International and the American Psychological Association have condemned conversion therapy as harmful and, in some cases, amounting to torture. Despite bans in some countries, such programs remain legal in most of the world, including Malaysia, and are even resurging in conservative and authoritarian states like the United States. In 2020, JAKIM reported an LGBTQ+ activist to police for comparing these camps to Western conversion therapy.

Trans women in Malaysia navigate their identities in diverse ways. Some, like Dora, found community through NGOs like the PT Foundation, founded in 1987 to support LGBTQ+ people during the HIV/AIDS crisis. Others, such as Ana, a devout Muslim, resisted state programs while using them for financial aid (zakat), an Islamic charity typically meant for Muslims in need without conditions. However, trans women accessing zakat through these programs must commit to attending rehabilitation sessions. Some trans women compromised by changing their appearance to appear male while still identifying as women, though they felt this was insincere. Others, like Zita, a homeless sex worker, struggled with self-acceptance, feeling their identities were sinful despite finding relief in being their true selves.

Many trans women in Malaysia reconcile their identities with their faith by finding inclusive interpretations of Islam. Some avoid mosques due to stigma but still find comfort in their belief in Allah. Others, like Ana, believe God created them as they are and that being transgender is not a sin. They reject the idea that their identities are opposed to spirituality, countering the narrative that all trans people are secular. While some activists, like Dora, advocate for 'soft advocacy' to seek tolerance, others, like Mimi, push for legal gender recognition and equal treatment. Despite differences in approach, all emphasize that no one can change who they are, and their faith supports their self-acceptance.