Human Rights Watch has criticised Malaysia over a discriminatory law against cross-dressing after an Islamic court fined nine Muslim transgender women.
Human Rights Watch called on Malaysia to immediately abolish the law which prohibits “a male person posing as a woman”.
“Malaysian authorities need to stop hauling transgender people into court simply because of who they are and what they wear,” said Neela Ghoshal, Human Rights Watch’s senior researcher on LGBT rights.
“The government needs to recognise that the freedom to express your gender is as fundamental as any other freedom.”
The women were arrested in a raid on 16 June in the northeastern Malaysian state of Kelantan. Two of them were given one-month jail sentences, but were released on bail pending an appeal.
bbabo.Net