Human Rights Watch conducted field research in Malaysia in January 2014 in four states - Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Penang, and Pahang - and in the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur. A Human Rights Watch researcher interviewed 66 people, including 42 transgender women (several of whom were also activists and outreach workers) and 3 transgender men; as well as lawyers; HIV prevention and outreach workers; human rights activists; a criminologist, a psychologist, and a medical doctor; a representative of the federal Department of Islamic Development (JAKIM); a representative of the governmental human rights commission (SUHAKAM); an elected state assemblyman; and foreign diplomats. Human Rights Watch contacted the Ministry of Health and the Prison Department by email to inquire about policies affecting transgender people, but neither agency responded.

Most transgender interview subjects were introduced to Human Rights Watch by the activist group, Justice for Sisters, or by other community organizations that work with transgender people. Interviews were conducted in English or in Malay, Tamil, or Cantonese with the assistance of an interpreter. All persons interviewed provided verbal informed consent to participate and were assured that they could end the interview at any time or decline to answer any questions. Most interviewees have been given pseudonyms, and in some cases other identifying information has been withheld to protect their privacy and safety. No one was compensated for their participation. Some participants were reimbursed for modest transport costs incurred to go to interview locations.

Although Human Rights Watch only conducted primary research in four states and in one federal territory, some transgender women we interviewed had previously lived in other locations, including Sabah, Sarawak, Kelantan, Kedah, and Johor, and reported on forms of discrimination they faced in those locations. Secondary research, including review of other reports on transgender people in Malaysia, suggests that the types of human rights abuses documented in this report are also common in other states. For instance, Dr. Teh Yik Koon, a professor of sociology and criminology at the National Defense University, conducted a 2000 survey of 507 transgender women in eight states and territories, including six of those in which Human Rights Watch did not conduct research. Teh's research documents arbitrary arrests and abuse by the police and religious authorities, as well as other abuses and consequences, such as employment discrimination and family rejection, that are similar to those documented here.