By Mohani Niza

Hard news

3 September 2009

KUALA LUMPUR – A sexuality rights festival called Seksualiti Merdeka was held for its second
year running last month to celebrate sexual diversity in Malaysia.

The event from 12th to 16th August which was located at The Annexe Gallery in Central Market
featured various activities including film screenings, theatre, workshops, talks and concerts.

Seksualiti Merdeka was officiated by Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir and drew around 800
people from various walks of life, including from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
(LGBT) community. It involved non-governmental bodies such as the Malaysian Bar Council
and The Women’s Candidacy Initiative.

Seksualiti Merdeka is based on the Yogyakarta Principles, an international human rights

framework for sexual orientation and gender identity. Highlights of the festival included a forum
about people’s attitudes towards sex and an art installation by a group of artists.

Seksualiti Merdeka is the brainchild of the Arts Programme Director of The Annexe Gallery
Pang Khee Teik and singer-songwriter Jerome Kugan. According to Pang, the idea came about
when they were invited to Singapore’s gay pride event called ‘IndigNation’ last year. That
experience inspired him to create something familiar in Malaysia.

“Seksualiti Merdeka is necessary because Malaysia does not give enough opportunities to
people who are different”, Pang said. “Malaysia has a false view that democracy only appeases
the majority, but in a true democracy, the minorities are respected. In many countries, the
government spends a lot to appeal to those who are not on their side. We must make that
happen, but first we empower the citizens”.

The theme of this year’s Seksualiti Merdeka was “Our Bodies, Our Rights” which emphasised
the need for everyone to be independent about the choices they made about their bodies,
regardless of their sexuality.

Alicia Izharuddin, a gender studies student in the United Kingdom was one of the many people
who attended Seksualiti Merdeka. “Often considered a so-called taboo subject, sex and

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sexuality were finally out in the open, in a good and life-affirming way, at the historical and
cultural heart of the capital”, she says.

However she hopes to see a wider group in the next Seksualiti Merdeka event. “The event
seems to have reached an audience of a particular group which is mainly urban, middle-class,
technologically savvy and highly-educated”, she says. “As the issue of sexual norms affects
everybody in Malaysia, it is important for future Seksualiti Merdeka events to be inclusive of the
many Malaysians, such as the working class and those coming to grips with their sexuality
under very repressed circumstances”.

According to Kevin Baker, the Communication Officer of PT Foundation, sexual minorities in

Malaysia face discrimination in various areas such as marriage, healthcare, education and the
workplace. PT Foundation is a non-governmental organisation which disseminates information
about HIV to men who have sex with men (MSM) and was one of the many organisations that
participated in the festival. However according to him Seksualiti Merdeka alone is not enough to
end the discrimination that sexual minorities face in Malaysia. He says, “Seksualiti Merdeka was
vital in terms of raising awareness, but it can only be considered truly successful when the
appropriate legislations are reformed”.

(520 words)

Feature
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 3 September 2009

KUALA LUMPUR - While Malaysia was preparing to celebrate its 52nd year of independence,
another celebration of freedom was under way. Seksualiti Merdeka (meaning ‘Independence of
sexuality’) was held on the 12th to 16th August to celebrate the different strands of sexuality in
Malaysian society. It saw different groups of people from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender (LGBT) community in Malaysia, as well as their heterosexual allies, come together
for a five-day event featuring film screenings, theatre, workshops, talks and concerts.

However, the colourful activities belied a darker situation of homosexuality in Malaysia. Section
377 of the Malaysian Penal Code forbids anal sex, a crime punishable by imprisonment and
whipping. It makes no distinction between heterosexual and homosexual couples, though critics
argue it has often been used to discriminate against gay men. Furthermore, Islam plays a huge
role in influencing laws and policies. Last year a religious edict was issued against tomboys on
the reasoning it promoted lesbianism. Raids by religious authorities on gay venues are not
uncommon.

The disapproval also comes from other religious communities. Pastor Lynda Choi of Peace
Charis Church believes that homosexuality is unnatural and can be changed. “A person is not
gay because he is born gay, but because he chooses to indulge in homosexual practices”, she
says. “I pray with them and counsel them”.

For some gays their religious faith is no issue. Take Raja Azlan Shah, a 20 year old student for
example, who is open about his sexuality to most people. “As a gay man, I have a need to see
other men”, he says. “I still respect my religion. At the end of the day it is up to God to punish
me over my sexuality or not”.

Pang Khee Teik, the organiser of Seksualiti Merdeka cautions to not generalise religion as
homophobic. “Within Islam itself, there are many differing interpretations regarding
homosexuality”, he says.

Gay life in Malaysia seems contradictory. “Malaysian society in general has become more
accepting of gays. We see more same-sex couples in public and more gay-friendly venues.
However, raids and discriminatory policies abound”, says Kevin Baker, the Communication

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Officer of PT Foundation, a non-profit organisation working with gay men. Thus according to him
real change can only come when the Malaysian government improves its policies towards
homosexuals.

However, Jaymee Goh, 24, a Malaysian lesbian who moved to Canada six years ago believes
that homophobia is usually subtle. “It is often spread through humour”, she says. “People do not
understand that by reacting towards gays with laughter is alienating”. She believes homophobia
is rooted in misogyny and that change should come from within. “If we can believe that
masculinity is not superior, then we wouldn’t hold men to standards of masculinity that are
threatened by homosexuality”, she continues.

The forces against the gay community in Malaysia have become bolder in recent times, but so
has the voice of the gay community itself. A wind of change for the better may soon sweep as
the gay community in Malaysia continues to fight to live and love the way they see fit.

(518
words)

Reference

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1. Tilted World: A Malaysian LGBT project 2009, Seksualiti Merdeka 2009 — programme,
viewed 27th August 2009,

<http://tiltedworld.org/2009/08/04/seksualiti-merdeka-2009-%E2%80%94-programme>.

2. The Star Online 2009, Sexy Event, viewed 31st August 2009,

<http://star- ecentral.com/news/story.asp?
file=/2009/8/23/soundnstage/4563501&sec=soundnstage>.

3. The Star 2008, Fatwa on tomboys, viewed 1st September 2009,

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/10/24/nation/2362908&sec=nation

Interviewees

1. Pang Khee Teik

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2. Alicia Izharuddin

3. Kevin Baker

4. Raja Azlan Shah

5. Pastor Lynda Choi

6. Jaymee Goh