“The words ‘human dignity’ were repeated many times in the judgment,” [said Ambiga Sreenevasan, a lawyer and the former head of the Malaysian Bar Council]. “It brings us back to fundamental liberties.”...
The lead judge, Mohamed Hishamudin Mohamed Yunus, made it clear that the court was not ruling on homosexuality, which is illegal in Malaysia, and that transgender people had a disorder....
Transgender people were traditionally accepted in the culture of Malaysia’s dominant Malay ethnic group and served in a variety of roles, including performers and advisers to the country’s sultans. But the influence of conservative Islamic politics over the past three decades has often left transgender people ostracized.
November 7, 2014
"A Malaysian appeals court on Friday struck down an Islamic law that banned men from dressing as women..."
"... in what lawyers described as a landmark case in the country’s stormy battle between secular and religious authorities."
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So, Malay men, no more worrying about being arrested if you choose a more feminine mode of dress.
You'll still be killed, of course, in a humiliating and painful manner, but at least your record will stay clean!
Human dignity, as opposed to animal dignity? A hint of things to come?
Its tough for a man to keep his dignity... When he is dressed like a woman.
So it is now OK to stage "Charley's Aunt", at least in one province.
Goodness, why would a man want to pretend he's a woman in a Muslim country? I don't see any upside here.
Because the government gets to decide one way or the other.
Every decision we make should be left up to majority vote right?
"Goodness, why would a man want to pretend he's a woman in a Muslim country? I don't see any upside here."
Because homosexuality is forbidden, and there's this perception that if you are really the sex that you don't appear to be, you are not gay, and then what was forbidden is not.
In most of Southeast Asia, transvestites are tolerated. They are laughed at but they are not persecuted. I am most familiar with how katoys are treated in Thailand.
This is interesting because (ethnic) Malay men often wear sarongs. What constitutes dressing as a woman if you are wearing a sarong?
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