Transgender women have no choice but to wear feminine clothes to express their identity as part of the medical condition, gender identity disorder (GID), the Court of Appeal was told today.
In a constitutional review of a shariah law banning Muslim men from wearing women's clothing, lawyers argued that their clients are affected by the condition for their whole lives, adding that the condition cannot be treated by medicine or psychological therapy.
"It is an attribute of nature that they cannot choose and cannot change… Can you penalise someone for something they cannot choose or change?" lawyer Aston Paiva asked the court.
Lawyers Aston Paiva and Fahri Azzat are representing three transgender clients who contend that Section 66 in Negri Sembilan’s Shariah Criminal Enactment 1992, which prohibits cross-gender attire, violates constitutional articles and do not apply to those diagnosed with gender identity disorder.
The transgender community is not only a much visible community worldwide, but also has historical roots since the pre-Islamic Malay kingdoms as courtiers, even in ancient Negri Sembilan, Aston said.
Category(s):LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender) Issues, Mental Health in Asia
Source material from Malay Mail Online
