KUALA LUMPUR, July 17 — Both cisgender women and transgender women in Malaysia have high hurdles in openly expressing themselves and the problems they face, according to a recent study by women’s rights group Empower Malaysia released today., the study surveyed 60 cisgender woman from marginalised or minority communities and 60 transgender women.
Another 36.7 per cent said they had no freedom of expression, while 13.3 per cent said it depends on the situation. When asked about the levels of restriction they face when expressing themselves, 46.7 per cent of cisgender women said they were very restricted. This included restrictions by society, their family members, employers, religious institutions and other actors from their childhood.
“I have even asked them, ‘Will you only take action if I turn up dead?’ and they jokingly replied to me ‘yes’,” reportedly said a respondent who was left anonymous.