The recent interview of the Malaysian Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim, with Christiane Amanpour has entrenched the continuing gaps in protection for the LGBT community in the country.
While we welcome Anwar’s stand on ensuring the community would not be victims of harassment, it’s imminent to understand that such persecution would continue as long as the LGBT community are being targeted and criminalised based on one's gender identity, sexuality and expression.
And it doesn’t just end here but infringes on our rights as equal citizens of this country (Article 8 of the Federal Constitution) by denying us access to employment, healthcare, education, housing, and mental health support.
It also makes us vulnerable to hate crimes as social acceptance becomes almost impossible, due to institutionalised discrimination, including but not limited to sexual orientation and gender identity.
Anwar argues that this is the ‘consensus’ of Malaysians. If so, it is one influenced by decades of hate and misinformation regarding the LGBT community. Consensus can change, if there is courage and political will for it.
It cannot be denied that the rights of the LGBT community has been politicised for easy brownie points and political mileage. But doing so transgresses upon the international human rights law, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and human rights treaty and convention mechanisms that obligate States to promote and protect the human rights of all persons without discrimination.
We are a community that lives in constant fear of violence and the consequences of hate. A simple Google search would bring on tons of articles and reports about the continuous danger that LGBT persons face in the country.
This has to stop. Many of us believe in the reforms promised by this government. We voted for you to see progress in the way marginalised populations are treated in Malaysia.
We are one such people. And we hope the government would do good, by us.
SEED
26 September, 2023