Malaysia
— Transsexuals are gaining more acceptance in
mostly Muslim Malaysia, a well-known transsexual said
Tuesday, a little more than year after she held a
high-profile but controversial wedding with an
accountant.
Jessie Chung, an ethnic
Chinese Malaysian who had sex-change surgery in 2003,
said her country's transsexuals are "luckier than those
in some other places" because anti-discrimination
campaigns by nongovernment groups have helped to change
the way in which many people view them.
"I know this because when
I walk down the street, strangers who recognize me often
approach me with encouraging words," Chung told
reporters. "Our society is becoming more open-minded."
Chung, a Christian in her
30s who was born male, made national headlines by
becoming the first transsexual to have a public wedding,
on Nov. 12, 2005. She married accountant Joshua Beh in
front of 800 guests in a ceremony conducted by
independent church pastors.
However, the government
has ruled the marriage invalid because it is considered a
same-sex union. Chung's identification documents state
she is a man, since Malaysian transsexuals cannot legally
update their gender status even after changing their sex.
Sex-change surgery is
legal in Malaysia, but activists have long said
transsexuals here face widespread prejudice and often
cannot find employment, forcing some into illegal sex
work. Outreach groups estimate there are at least 50,000
transsexuals in Malaysia.
Chung's wedding sparked
public debate about transsexual issues, such as Islamic
laws that put Muslims who cross-dress at risk of being
jailed and fined, the AP said.
Some 60 percent of
Malaysia's 26 million people are ethnic Malay Muslims,
but there are large ethnic Chinese and Indian minority
communities, mostly Buddhists, Christians and Hindus, who
are not subject to Islamic laws.
Chung, a semiprofessional
singer, marked her wedding anniversary by launching an
album of mainly Mandarin-language ballads that convey her
life experiences. Producers hope to market it at home and
in Singapore, Taiwan and other Chinese-speaking
territories.
