It’s funny how minds with a mission to dominate and repress think alike. They repeat the same words (‘gender ideology’) and target the same vulnerable groups (transgender women) in the name of ‘protecting’ women and even women’s rights. In one of the many executive orders issued within the first one hundred days of Trump’s second… Continue reading ‘Gender ideology extremism’
Tag: Transgender
Dark days ahead for gender
After the truly woeful ruling by the UK’s supreme court last week – that only ‘biological’ women can be legally classified as women – I needed to pause all my work and better understand what is going on. For years, I was aware of an offshoot of British feminism who call themselves ‘gender critical’ campaigners… Continue reading Dark days ahead for gender
Lecture notes: Trans identities and queer acceptance in Indonesian cinema?
The following are notes from my final lecture for Sex and the City: Gender and Sexuality in Southeast Asia on trans identities in Indonesian cinema. Disclaimer on the use of ‘definitions’ Since I am teaching this class in English, to students in a British institution with a largely unproblematised epistemological culture that privileges western ways… Continue reading Lecture notes: Trans identities and queer acceptance in Indonesian cinema?
The transmen community is still overshadowed by phallocentric logic in Malaysia
First published on Engenderings, the LSE blog for gender and sexual diversity In several scenes from the recent but quickly forgotten Malaysian film, “Aku Bukan Tomboy” (I’m Not a Tomboy, 2011), masculine women and transmen alike were disparaged as not being ‘real’ men for lacking a bioglogical penis. The film makes clear that not only… Continue reading The transmen community is still overshadowed by phallocentric logic in Malaysia
Sex reassignment surgery is “not allowed” in Islam because Muslims in Malaysia are easily confused
The re-instated word on the legal status of sex reassignment surgery (SRS) within Islam continues to stand as “not allowed” on all counts except for hermaphrodite people. The ban on SRS was first introduced in 1983 but occasionally a re-issue of the fatwa is necessary mainly as a reminder to Muslim Malaysians that they’re being… Continue reading Sex reassignment surgery is “not allowed” in Islam because Muslims in Malaysia are easily confused
Two steps forward, one step back: On Dalam Botol, Malaysia’s first ‘gay’ film
Written for the LSE equality and diversity blog For a country keen on displaying its hyper-modernity, Malaysian law and social attitudes on sexual morality in general have always had a conservative bent. While there are pockets of change, much of the public discourse on sex and morality are dominated by sexist and homophobic language. A… Continue reading Two steps forward, one step back: On Dalam Botol, Malaysia’s first ‘gay’ film
Between worlds: the jilbab and being transgender in Indonesia
It is a scene that wouldn’t be unfamiliar in France or Belgium: a woman’s hijab is snatched away by strangers on the street from her head despite her protest. She is told she shouldn’t wear it, or rather, she has no right to because her wearing it mocks other women and femininity itself. But it… Continue reading Between worlds: the jilbab and being transgender in Indonesia
Forbidden Love: Indonesian LGBT book covers
The following are just a few of the many books I will have to plough through this summer. Cinta Terlarang – Sebuah Novel Untuk Dewasa (Forbidden Love – A Novel For Adults) by Andre Aciman. Synopsis (translated from Indonesian by yours truly): Elio, a young Italian man, has fallen head over heals for Oliver, his… Continue reading Forbidden Love: Indonesian LGBT book covers
A bumpy road, just like Malaysian sexual politics: A review of Body 2 Body – A Malaysian Queer Anthology
Body 2 body (2009) is the product of Malaysia’s young, hip and well-connected who’ve banded together to compile a collection of short stories and essays on living la vida non-normative. Edited by local art scene stalwarts Jerome Kugan and Pang Khee Teik, Body 2 Body is a landmark of sorts, mainly as the first anthology… Continue reading A bumpy road, just like Malaysian sexual politics: A review of Body 2 Body – A Malaysian Queer Anthology
Claudine, a transgender tragedy for girls: A critical review
From the start, a scene with a young child who steps into a psychiatrist’s salon because of a gender identity “problem” already seals the reader’s fate to a gloomy foregone conclusion. The young child is Claudine, the eponymous character of Ryoko Ikeda’s 1987 4-part manga and the central subject of much intrigue and heartbreak. The… Continue reading Claudine, a transgender tragedy for girls: A critical review
Alicia Izharuddin 