The Malaysian government wants people to join its fight against the LGBT and it’s even offering money. Just last week, the country’s health ministry launched a contest asking for videos on ‘prevention and control of gender confusion’ with the winning anti-LGBT entry receiving anything between 1000-4000 ringgit ($234-934).
Malaysia is a predominantly Islamic country. Here, under both state courts and Sharia law, homosexuality and gender change are deemed illegal and those prosecuted can face fines, imprisonment and even corporal punishment. Gender-reassignment surgery was, however, once available in Malaysia. Until rising Islamic conservatism led to a ban in 1982. Since then, the discrimination and infringement of rights against the LGBT is only getting worse. The contest has drawn much umbrage within the country and abroad. And rightly so. Sexual orientation and expressions of gender identity occur naturally; there is a strong biological component involved. In fact, the American Psychiatry Association has even gone on to say that there is no scientific evidence that sexual orientation, be it heterosexual, homosexual or otherwise, is a ‘freewill choice’.
That being said, homosexuality is not a choice, but homophobia is. Malaysia urgently needs to scrap laws that discriminate against transgender people and instead of focusing on ‘how to prevent, control and get help’ for homosexuality, focus on ‘how to get help’ for such outbursts of homophobic prejudice.
