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Malaysia bans women from wearing men's clothes and lesbian sexual relations
Malaysian women have been banned from "tom-boyism" and lesbian sexual relations in a fatwa from one of the country's top religious authorities.
By Thomas Bell, telegraph.co.uk, 24/10/2008
According to the chairman of the National Fatwa Council, Abdul Shukor Husin, many young women admire the was men dress and behave, which is a denial of their femininity and a violation of human nature.
"It is unacceptable to see women who love the male lifestyle including dressing in the clothes men wear," he complained, adding, "(Masculine behaviour) becomes clearer when they start to have sex with someone of the same gender, that is woman and woman."
"In view of this," Dr Abdul explained, "the National Fatwa Council which met today have decided and taken the stand that such acts are forbidden and banned."
Male homosexuality - specifically sodomy - is illegal in Malaysia and punishable with up to twenty years in jail. Accusations of sodomy have twice been levelled against the opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim in what he says are politically motivated attempts to destroy him.
However, lawyers say there is no provision banning lesbian sex in Malaysia's civil code. The latest fatwa appears to be an attempt to push lesbianism towards illegality.
In addition to civil courts, Malaysia operates a parallel Sharia system which has jurisdiction over the country's Muslims.
Islam is multi-ethnic Malaysia's official religion and is practised by 60 per cent of the population who are ethnic Malays. Some members of the ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities complain about rising conservatism in Malaysian Islam.
Women's dress is a particular preoccupation for religious authorities.
In July a provincial city issued guidelines urging women to avoid lipstick and high heels.
Malaysia bans women from wearing men's clothes and lesbian sexual relations
Malaysian women have been banned from "tom-boyism" and lesbian sexual relations in a fatwa from one of the country's top religious authorities.
By Thomas Bell, telegraph.co.uk, 24/10/2008
According to the chairman of the National Fatwa Council, Abdul Shukor Husin, many young women admire the was men dress and behave, which is a denial of their femininity and a violation of human nature.
"It is unacceptable to see women who love the male lifestyle including dressing in the clothes men wear," he complained, adding, "(Masculine behaviour) becomes clearer when they start to have sex with someone of the same gender, that is woman and woman."
"In view of this," Dr Abdul explained, "the National Fatwa Council which met today have decided and taken the stand that such acts are forbidden and banned."
Male homosexuality - specifically sodomy - is illegal in Malaysia and punishable with up to twenty years in jail. Accusations of sodomy have twice been levelled against the opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim in what he says are politically motivated attempts to destroy him.
However, lawyers say there is no provision banning lesbian sex in Malaysia's civil code. The latest fatwa appears to be an attempt to push lesbianism towards illegality.
In addition to civil courts, Malaysia operates a parallel Sharia system which has jurisdiction over the country's Muslims.
Islam is multi-ethnic Malaysia's official religion and is practised by 60 per cent of the population who are ethnic Malays. Some members of the ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities complain about rising conservatism in Malaysian Islam.
Women's dress is a particular preoccupation for religious authorities.
In July a provincial city issued guidelines urging women to avoid lipstick and high heels.
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Coming Out: Gay and Lesbian Life in East Asia
Standing out from the crowd is hard in any country. But what if your sexuality was outlawed and practising it could land you a lengthy jail term? And what if there was no word in your language to describe the very essence of your being?
The breadth of gay and lesbian experience in East Asia is incredibly varied. It ranges from Chinese lesbians who call themselves 'female comrades' for want of a better word, to 'Muk nar' or transvestites in Islamic Malaysia. East Asia Today's special series: Out In Asia explores the experience of gay men and women in Asia.
Homsexuality and the law
The breadth of experience varies but there is one unifying theme: prejudice. In some cases this is state-sanctioned, as in Malaysia where an accusation of sodomy landed the former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in jail. Across East Asia, laws criminalizing homosexuality exist in Burma, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.
Even when there are no specific laws prohibiting homosexuality, discrimination occurs through other more obscure laws, such as in Vietnam where men are forbidden from wearing 'weird or sorcerous garments' or in Taiwan where a law against 'overt lewdness in public places' can give police the power to intimidate the gay community.
Societal pressure
In countries where nothing is specifically enshrined in law, societal pressure can still lead to a fall from grace: recently in South Korea a popular children's television presenter had to resign when he felt he could no longer deny his sexuality.
Even in countries that have traditionally had more lenient views towards homosexuality, like the Philippines, gay people are only accepted into wider society if they fit certain stereotypes. A Filipina sex therapist, Margarita Holmes, describes how gay men are acceptable in the Philippines if they are effeminate, theatrical and perhaps work in a beauty parlour. If they are serious doctors or teachers they are not.
Across Asia the family occupies a paramount position in society. This can lead to incredible pressure on those who do not conform to the so-called norm. In Singapore, Sheila Rajamanikam describes the experiences of lesbians there:
Most of them are forced into marriage and end up having children… there's a huge amount of depression and a few suicides
Sheila Rajamanikam, a lesbian from Singapore
As a result, many gay and lesbian people are driven underground, too afraid to talk about their sexuality or 'come out' to their families and friends. Xiao Pei, a Chinese lesbian said:
"I am too afraid to come out to any Chinese friends. If I tell them and they don't understand I am afraid I will lose them and I'm quite afraid of losing my family."
Even when brave enough to come out to their families, ignorance about what it means to be gay can prove astounding. When Zhun Li, a Chinese gay man, told his mother that he was gay she begged him to get a doctor to check if there was something wrong with his body.
Glad to be gay
But despite these adversities, there is a growing feeling among the gay and lesbian communities that things are changing for the better. In Taiwan and Indonesia that is being assisted by more open societies following political change and the gay scenes are flourishing.
Even in Malaysia, despite the spread of Islamic conservatism, there is growing recognition of the existence of gay and lesbian Malaysians who have been previously been ignored. As one young gay Malaysian said of the prosecution of Anwar for sodomy:
It's exposed what was once a taboo in our country…we are still being discriminated against, we are still looked on as freaks. But … it has brought awareness to the community that we do exist and that our existence can no longer be denied.
A gay man, Malaysia
When asked if Asia was a good place to be gay, Dede Oetomo, a gay man from Indonesia said:
"It can be once you get beyond the problems with your family, your school, your workplace, but if you can get beyond that then it could be a good place. People are actually quite accepting of people who are useful to the community. They may find gay people, lesbians and transgenders (sic) rather unusual at first but if you can prove yourself to be useful to the community, they can accept you".
Malay Lesbians Kissing
Who would have guessed, 50 years after Merdeka this kind of public showing of affection can happen. Never thought it could be this infectious. One could only wonder what could actually happen when they are behind a closure. On the internet, myspace in particular you identify lesbians by just pictures of women in their bras.
From the look of it, they are still in school and aged around 18-22 years old. Anyhow, this is the reality of life in Malaysia. It seems identity lost problems have been quite common. Who should we blame? Outside influence? Personal experience?
Homosexuality is outlawed in Malaysia (as in quite a number of ASEAN countries), but that is not going to stop a gay and lesbian “travel” guide from attempting to spice up the supposedly hot gay and lesbian scene in Malaysia.
The guide in question is the Utopia Guide to Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, and is the first of such guides for these countries given their stance against homosexuality. Not surprisingly, the editor of Utopia Guides hopes that it will foster greater acceptance of homosexuality in these countries.
But the more interesting thing is that the guide claims that Malaysia has the “hottest gay scene going” (based on surveys conducted from Singapore), even though Islam is the primary religion in Malaysia, and Islam is not supportive of homosexual relationships. In fact, gay sex is punishable by jail in Malaysia. Gay bars in Malaysia such as Liquid, just behind Central Market, are well-known.
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