Sixteen transgender women who have been arrested in Malaysia face being placed in a men’s prison, where their heads will be shaved and they will have no access to treatment. They were taken into custody when religious authorities raided a Malay wedding in Bahau, Jempol on Sunday, accusing 17 women of violating Sharia law. Gay Star News reports the women were pleaded guilty to with “cross-dressing”, and have been fined and jailed for at least seven days. If they fail to pay the fine of 950 Malaysian ringgits (NZ$350), then they will be jailed for six months. One of them escaped jail, as she was under the age of 18, she will be ‘counselled to cure the condition’. Transgender rights group Justice For Sisters says because none of them have never been arrested under the law before, they panicked and pleaded guilty. “As their identification card says male, they will be sentenced to a male prison, and treated as a male person – their heads will be shaved, no hormone treatment and high risk of violence,” spokesperson for the group says.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Wednesday, 11th June 2014 - 10:47am