Transsexuals: Respect Their Choice

http://www.malaysianmirror.com/nationaldetail/6-national/21685

Transsexuals: Respect Their Choice

Sunday, 06 December 2009 13:38

LETTER I think most of us aware of the predicament faced by the Malaysian transsexual who got married in UK. This is my take on the matter.

Well, I’m emotionally disturbed by the public response towards the marriage of Fatine Min Bahari with Ian Young.

Our Malaysian Immigration Department alleged that Fatine has overstayed in UK. If she is found guilty, Fatine will not be able to leave the country for two years.

This couple brings no harm to you personally nor the security of UK and Malaysia. They are not a threat to anyone. If we don’t want people to stop us from doing what we like and what is best for us, then why must we stop others from choosing what they like? It’s their individual right to choose their life partner.

Now we are causing them harm instead. Malaysia seems to be a threat to the couple. She is so afraid to return home because of the discrimination against people like her. Her act is unacceptable by the Malays, according to her. She might also be punished under the Syariah law for marrying a person with the same sex.

Their marriage may against Malaysian cultures and traditions but they should not become an obstacle for people on how they choose to live. Sometimes our norms, beliefs, cultures, and traditions ‘kill’ the goodness in us.

Some of them are not even relevant in today’s world. The world is evolving, we are moving forward and things changed. Don’t persecute people who are different from us. These people deserve the way of life they want to be and choose to live.

No one is born with the same personality. You may enjoy something that others don’t and vice versa. So respect others and don’t be selfish. We can’t expect others to be like us.

By wanting to be together, they don’t harm our environment, they don’t commit any crime, they don’t terrorize any country, they don’t make you lose your job, and they don’t kill, rob or smuggle drugs.

Human are different. That is a fact. Therefore, we must accept the differences among us. We should celebrate the differences in us and stay united in diversity.

Some people choose to stay single, some choose to marry with someone chosen by their parents, some people prefer inter-marriage, some people choose to have partner from the same gender, and to Fatine and Young, they chose the marriage that they want. They have every right to stay together.

So what if they are straight or not straight? So what if they are bixesual? So what if they are gay or lesbian? So what if they are transsexual? So what if they are pondan or tomboy? So what if they don’t have any feelings towards male or female? And so what if they date an animal.

You may be against it, but it’s their life. They just want to be happy together. And the rest of us owe it to them to grant them that happiness.

If it’s against their religion, let God judge and punish them, not us. God never say we can discriminate and condemn people who are different from us.

No matter what Fantine chooses, it’s her decision. She has already made up her mind. It’s her choice. This is what she wants. This is what makes her comfortable with. She’s happy with it. So we have to accept and respect it.

Accept the fact that she’s a woman now with the characteristics of a man. We can’t change her back to a man.

Malaysians must stop being ‘close-minded’. We must dare to accept changes, whether in our government, our education system, our lifestyles, our way of thinking, and other aspects in life.

This form of sexual discrimination is another major problem in Malaysia besides bureaucracy, racism, career opportunities, retrenchment, gender bias, corruption, exam-oriented education system, cronyism, freedom of expression, violation of human rights, crime, political instability etc.

These are the issues causing many Malaysians to work or migrate overseas and never want to come back.

We can certainly do with one problem less. Allow Fantine and her husband to be happy. Surely, that is not too much to ask.

Oh Chin Eng,
UTAR Journalism student
Penang