Key Recommendations

To the Prime Minister of Malaysia

• Retract 2012 statement that Malaysia should “fight” against LGBT people, and call on the Malaysian public to practice tolerance and to stop discriminating against people on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation.

To the Department of Islamic Development (JAKIM)

• Call on all state Religious Departments to repeal provisions within state Sharia enactments that criminalize transgender people.
• Call on all state Religious Departments to end the practice of conducting raids targeting transgender people.
• Cease efforts, through outdoor boot camps or other initiatives, to “convert” transgender people to cisgender.

To the State Legislative Assemblies and the Ministry of Federal Territories

• Repeal provisions within the various state and federal territory sharia enactments that criminalize “a man posing as a woman” or “a woman posing as a man.”

To State and Federal Territory Islamic Religious Departments

• Cease carrying out raids that target transgender women.
• Investigate allegations of physical and sexual abuse and extortion of transgender women by state Religious Department officials, and hold accountable all personnel found to have committed such abuses.

To the State Fatwa Committees

• Repeal fatwas that have been gazetted in several states (Johor, Kedah, Malacca, and Perak) that prohibit “pengkid” (“tomboys” or tomboy-like behavior).

To the Royal Malaysia Police

• Investigate allegations of physical and sexual abuse and extortion of transgender women by state Religious Department officials and by police officers, and bring criminal charges against any officials and officers found to have played a role in such abuses.

To the Federal Parliament

• Amend article 8(2) of the Constitution, which prohibits discrimination on gender and other grounds, to include sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. In the absence of a constitutional amendment, pass legislation prohibiting discrimination on these grounds.

To the National Registration Department

• Amend the National Registration Guidelines to allow for transgender people to change their names and the sex markers on their identity cards based on their expressed gender identity.