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RIGHTS-ASIA: Transgenders Assert Identity At AIDS Meet
By Lynette Lee Corporal*
BALI, Aug 13, 2009 (TerraViva/IPS) - "There has been so much confusion going around transgenders. We are not
MSMs [men who have sex with men] and don’t lump us under the transvestite
[category either] because we have different needs," declared Kartini Slemeh at
the 9th International Conference on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP) here.
A transgender, Slemeh heads a transgender support programme in Malaysia
that works under the Network of Sex Work Projects (NSWP) - an informal
alliance of sex workers and organisations active in 40 countries.
Slemeh and other transgenders from the region said their cause was being
taken for granted by many due to lack of knowledge and indifference.
A transgender identifies oneself with another gender other than what the
person is biologically born into. Transgenders may identify themselves as
homosexuals, transvestites or transsexuals - but some consider conventional
sexual orientation labels inapplicable or inadequate for them.
"It’s a very complex thing trying to describe what a transgender is because it
goes way beyond mere appearances or sexual preference," Yuni Shara, who
heads Kebaya, a non-government organisation based in the Indonesian city
of Yogyakarta, told IPS.
Shara said that societal structures make it very difficult for transgenders to
be accepted in society. "For instance, I have a difficult time deciding whether
to join male or female worshippers."
Stigma and discrimination for a transgender starts at an early age, said Luluk
Surahman. "The lack of knowledge and information about reproductive health
are compounded by confusion about one’s sexuality, resulting in the
individual often being ostracised within the community," said Surahman.
According to Surahman, there are about 4,500 transgenders in Jakarta and
some 1,500 of them are under 25 years old. "Often they are undereducated,
have no adequate skills to support themselves, which is one of the reasons
why they turn to sex work," Surahman explained.
The lack of support systems and awareness among transgenders has
contributed to the rise of HIV/AIDS cases. "Almost 40 percent of transgenders
in Jakarta are already infected," added Surahman.
Zhao Jian’gang of the Yunnan-based Alliance of Chinese Transgenders
disclosed that about 200 transgenders engage in sex work in the
southwestern province. Like their counterparts in Jakarta, most of them have
low educational background and move frequently from place to place.
Misconceptions about their clients and the low use of condoms even with
their partners make their behaviour at high risk for HIV/AIDS.
Subject to arbitrary arrests and ridicule even by the media - which
sensationalise their cases - transgenders often experience abuse.
"A friend of mine who got breast implants was arrested because of sex work.
They cut off her hair at the detention and rehabilitation centre and placed her
with male prisoners," he said.
People Like Us (PLUS) representative Utpal Chakraborty talked about the
darker and more dangerous side of being a transgender in India.
"Transgenders live under threat of rape and other forms of abuse. Many join
the ‘hijra’, the eunuch community, and undergo illegal, secret and crude
castration operations," said Chakraborty, whose organisation works for the
"promotion, protection and advancement" of young men’s health and rights.
He said that 30 percent of those who undergo such operations die.
Support groups like Kebaya believe that even if it is a slow process, doors are
opening for dialogue not only within the transgender community, but also in
the wider population.
"Apart from family meetings, we conduct regular dialogues once a month
with the local community and also with religious leaders," said Shara.
Surahman and fellow advocates have also started getting in touch with
religious leaders and explaining to them the facts about transgenders.
Although complete acceptance may be a long time in coming, she realises
that baby steps are better than nothing.
"We’ve also tried to lobby for the basic rights of the transgender in the
parliament. Everything is still in the process and we don’t see any clear result
as of yet," she said. "But we’re not about to stop pursuing this."
Perhaps one of the biggest hurdles that advocacy groups face right now is
how to change the mindset of transgenders themselves.
"We often ask them about their concerns and dreams and oftentimes they
would tell us their dreams, such as having a big house, a handsome boyfriend
or even to be able to start a salon. No one said anything about wanting to
know more HIV/AIDS, for instance," said Surahman.
Experts say it is important that skills and educational programmes fit the
needs of the transgender community and, in the process, elevate their
economic status and protect them from human rights violations.
The most important thing, of course, is for them to feel empowered and
accepted by society.
"We are really advocating for full inclusion of our own gender identity within
the present societal framework," agreed Zhao.
*TerraViva at ICAAP 09 (http://www.ipsterraviva.asia)
(END)
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