Examining the Human Dignity Factor and the Public’s Attitudes Towards LGBT in Malaysia
Abstract
Recent years have witnessed a proliferation of research on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals in Malaysia, which pay attention to the various aspects of their lives and livelihoods. Although several studies have examined the attitudes of the Malaysian public towards LGBT, these studies have identified religion and gender role beliefs as the key factors that influenced those attitudes. The present study extended this line of research by examining the human dignity factor that shaped Malaysians’ attitudes towards LGBT. Data were gathered through in-depth interviews with 14 participants and based on a series of questions relating to their attitudes and opinions of LGBTs. The analysis of the data revealed three dominant themes: (1) LGBTs were accepted on the basis that they were human beings, (2) LGBTs should be respected for what they were, what they believed in, and how they lived their lives, and (3) LGBTs should be treated equally and not be discriminated against. The findings of the present study suggest the need to consider human dignity as one of the key factors that may have contributed to the steadily increasing trend towards public acceptance of LGBTs in present-day Malaysia.
References
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Azrowani Ulia, M. R., Azlina, Z. 1, Omar Fauzee, M. S., & Rozita, A. L. (2012). Perception towards homosexual athletes in Malaysia. International Proceedings of Economics Development and Research. Retrieved from http://ipedr.com/vol53/006-BCPS2012- C00021.pdf
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Cheah, W. H., & Singaravelu, H. (2017). The coming-out process of gay and lesbian individuals from Islamic Malaysia: Communication strategies and motivations. Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, 46(5), 401-423.
Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approach (4th ed.). Thousand Oak: Sage Publications.
Farish, Noor. (2009). What your teacher didn’t tell you: The Annex lectures, Vol. 1. Petaling Jaya: Matahari Books.
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Green, S. G. (2007). Human dignity and law. In J. Malpas & N. Lickiss (Eds.), Perspectives on human dignity: A conversation (pp. 151-156). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer
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Jerome, C. (2019). The right to be me, queerly, cyberly: Cybercrime and queer individuals in Malaysia. In Y. H. Khoo & D. Simandjuntak (Eds.), Exploring the nexus between technologies and human rights: Opportunities and challenges in Southeast Asia (pp. 150-184). Bangkok, Thailand: SHAPE-SEA.
Jerome, C, Ting, S. H., Yeo, J. J. Y., & Ling, H. N. (2021). Examining discrepant views of LGBT and non-LGBT individuals on societal receptivity towards the LGBT phenomenon in present-day Malaysia. International Journal of Social Science Research, 3(1), 55-66. Retrieved from
http://myjms.mohe.gov.my/index.php/ijssr/article/view/12817
Khartini Slamah. (2005). The struggle to be ourselves, neither men nor women: Maknyahs in Malaysia. In G. Misra & R. Chandiramani (Eds.), Sexuality, gender, and rights: Exploring theory and practice in South and Southeast Asia (pp. 98–112). London: Sage.
Khadijah, Mohamad Tuah & Ummu Syafiqah, Mazlan. (2020). Twitter as Safe Space for Self-Disclosure among Malaysian LGBTQ Youths.
Jurnal Komunikasi: Malaysian Journal of Communication Jilid 36(1) 2020: 436-448 doi: 10.17576/JKMJC-2020-3601-25
Luhur, W., Borwn, T. N. T., & Goh, J. N. (September, 2020). Public opinion of transgender rights in Malaysia. Retrieved from
https://escholarship.org/content/qt0d651947/qt0d651947_noSplash_8d367e835dfd0b0793284834ff3be92f.pdf?t=qh2k8p
Muhammad Faiz Mokhtar, Wan Allef Elfi Danial Wan Sukeri, & Zulkifli Abd Latiff. (2019). Social media roles in spreading LGBT movements in Malaysia. Asian Journal of Media and Communication, 3(2), 77-82.
Muhammad Naim Muhammad Ali & Noor Mayudia Mothar. (2020). Discourses on Twitter contribute to the concept of resilience in the LGBT community in Malaysia. ESTEEM Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 5, 27-47.
Ng, C. G., Yee, A., Subramaniam, P., Loh, S. H., & Moreira, P. (2015). Attitudes toward homosexuality among nursing students in a public university in Malaysia: The religious factor. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 12(3), 182-187. doi:10.1007/s13178-015-0182-0
Peletz, M. G. (1996). Reason and passion: Representations of gender in a Malay society. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Peletz, M. G. (2009). Gender pluralism: Southeast Asia since early modern times. New York: Routledge.
Pew Research Center (2014, May 27). The global divide on homosexuality: Greater acceptance in more secular and affluent countries. Retrieved from
https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/05/Pew-Global- Attitudes-Homosexuality-Report-REVISED-MAY-27-2014.pdf
Pew Research Center (2020, June 25). The global divide on homosexuality persists. Retrieved
From https://www.pewresearch.org/global/wpcontent/uploads/sites/2/2020/06/PG_2020.06.2_Global-Views-Homosexuality_FINAL.pdf
Shanon Shah Mohd Sidik. (2018). The making of a gay Muslim: Religion, sexuality, and identity in Malaysia and Britain. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave.
Singaravelu, H., & Cheah, W. H. (2020). Being gay and lesbian in Malaysia. In N. Nakamura & C. H. Logie (Eds.), Perspectives on sexual orientation and diversity. LGBTQ mental health: International perspectives and experiences (p. 121–135). American Psychological Association. doi: 10.1037/0000159-009
Steinmann, R. (2016). The core meaning of human dignity. PER/PELJ, 2016(19) http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/1727- 3781/2016/v19i0a1244
Shultziner, D. (2003). Human dignity - functions and meanings. Global Jurist Topics, 3(3) Article 3, 1-21.
Teh, S. T., Ee, S. K., Pua, X., & Tan, S. A. (2016). Attitudes towards homosexuals among heterosexual undergraduate students in Malaysia. Proceedings of the International Conference on Education and Psychology (ICEduPsy16), 306-317. Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321266995_Attitudes_towards_homosexual s_among_heterosexual_undergraduate_students_in_Malaysia
Teh, Y. K. (2008). Politics and Islam: factors determining the identity and status of male-to-female transsexuals in Malaysia. In F. Martin, P.A. Jackson, M. McLelland & A. Yue (Eds.), AsiaPacifiQueer: rethinking genders and sexualities (pp. 85–98) Illinois: University of Illinois Press.
Aldrich, R.(2003). Colonialism and homosexuality. London: Routledge.
Azrowani Ulia, M. R., Azlina, Z. 1, Omar Fauzee, M. S., & Rozita, A. L. (2012). Perception towards homosexual athletes in Malaysia. International Proceedings of Economics Development and Research. Retrieved from http://ipedr.com/vol53/006-BCPS2012- C00021.pdf
Bong, S. A. (2020). Becoming queer and religious in Malaysia and Singapore. London: Bloomsbury Academic.
Cheah, W. H., & Singaravelu, H. (2017). The coming-out process of gay and lesbian individuals from Islamic Malaysia: Communication strategies and motivations. Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, 46(5), 401-423.
Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approach (4th ed.). Thousand Oak: Sage Publications.
Farish, Noor. (2009). What your teacher didn’t tell you: The Annex lectures, Vol. 1. Petaling Jaya: Matahari Books.
Felix, M. (2016). Gay identity construction of ten Muslim male undergraduates in Penang, Malaysia: A phenomenological qualitative study. Asia-Pacific Social Science Review, 16(2), 113-119. Retrieved from http://apssr.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/9.Research-Brief_Felix-120216.pdf
Goh, J. N. (2020). Becoming a Malaysian trans man: Gender, society, body, and faith. Singapore: Palgrave Macmillan.
Green, S. G. (2007). Human dignity and law. In J. Malpas & N. Lickiss (Eds.), Perspectives on human dignity: A conversation (pp. 151-156). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer
Ismail, Baba. (2001). Gay and lesbian couples in Malaysia. In G. Sullivan & P. Jackson, (Eds.), Gay and lesbian in Asia: culture, identity, and community (pp. 143–64). New York, NY: Harrington Park Press.
Jerome, C. (2019). The right to be me, queerly, cyberly: Cybercrime and queer individuals in Malaysia. In Y. H. Khoo & D. Simandjuntak (Eds.), Exploring the nexus between technologies and human rights: Opportunities and challenges in Southeast Asia (pp. 150-184). Bangkok, Thailand: SHAPE-SEA.
Jerome, C, Ting, S. H., Yeo, J. J. Y., & Ling, H. N. (2021). Examining discrepant views of LGBT and non-LGBT individuals on societal receptivity towards the LGBT phenomenon in present-day Malaysia. International Journal of Social Science Research, 3(1), 55-66. Retrieved from
http://myjms.mohe.gov.my/index.php/ijssr/article/view/12817
Khartini Slamah. (2005). The struggle to be ourselves, neither men nor women: Maknyahs in Malaysia. In G. Misra & R. Chandiramani (Eds.), Sexuality, gender, and rights: Exploring theory and practice in South and Southeast Asia (pp. 98–112). London: Sage.
Khadijah, Mohamad Tuah & Ummu Syafiqah, Mazlan. (2020). Twitter as Safe Space for Self-Disclosure among Malaysian LGBTQ Youths.
Jurnal Komunikasi: Malaysian Journal of Communication Jilid 36(1) 2020: 436-448 doi: 10.17576/JKMJC-2020-3601-25
Luhur, W., Borwn, T. N. T., & Goh, J. N. (September, 2020). Public opinion of transgender rights in Malaysia. Retrieved from
https://escholarship.org/content/qt0d651947/qt0d651947_noSplash_8d367e835dfd0b0793284834ff3be92f.pdf?t=qh2k8p
Muhammad Faiz Mokhtar, Wan Allef Elfi Danial Wan Sukeri, & Zulkifli Abd Latiff. (2019). Social media roles in spreading LGBT movements in Malaysia. Asian Journal of Media and Communication, 3(2), 77-82.
Muhammad Naim Muhammad Ali & Noor Mayudia Mothar. (2020). Discourses on Twitter contribute to the concept of resilience in the LGBT community in Malaysia. ESTEEM Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 5, 27-47.
Ng, C. G., Yee, A., Subramaniam, P., Loh, S. H., & Moreira, P. (2015). Attitudes toward homosexuality among nursing students in a public university in Malaysia: The religious factor. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 12(3), 182-187. doi:10.1007/s13178-015-0182-0
Peletz, M. G. (1996). Reason and passion: Representations of gender in a Malay society. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Peletz, M. G. (2009). Gender pluralism: Southeast Asia since early modern times. New York: Routledge.
Pew Research Center (2014, May 27). The global divide on homosexuality: Greater acceptance in more secular and affluent countries. Retrieved from
https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/05/Pew-Global- Attitudes-Homosexuality-Report-REVISED-MAY-27-2014.pdf
Pew Research Center (2020, June 25). The global divide on homosexuality persists. Retrieved
From https://www.pewresearch.org/global/wpcontent/uploads/sites/2/2020/06/PG_2020.06.2_Global-Views-Homosexuality_FINAL.pdf
Shanon Shah Mohd Sidik. (2018). The making of a gay Muslim: Religion, sexuality, and identity in Malaysia and Britain. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave.
Singaravelu, H., & Cheah, W. H. (2020). Being gay and lesbian in Malaysia. In N. Nakamura & C. H. Logie (Eds.), Perspectives on sexual orientation and diversity. LGBTQ mental health: International perspectives and experiences (p. 121–135). American Psychological Association. doi: 10.1037/0000159-009
Steinmann, R. (2016). The core meaning of human dignity. PER/PELJ, 2016(19) http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/1727- 3781/2016/v19i0a1244
Shultziner, D. (2003). Human dignity - functions and meanings. Global Jurist Topics, 3(3) Article 3, 1-21.
Teh, S. T., Ee, S. K., Pua, X., & Tan, S. A. (2016). Attitudes towards homosexuals among heterosexual undergraduate students in Malaysia. Proceedings of the International Conference on Education and Psychology (ICEduPsy16), 306-317. Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321266995_Attitudes_towards_homosexual s_among_heterosexual_undergraduate_students_in_Malaysia
Teh, Y. K. (2008). Politics and Islam: factors determining the identity and status of male-to-female transsexuals in Malaysia. In F. Martin, P.A. Jackson, M. McLelland & A. Yue (Eds.), AsiaPacifiQueer: rethinking genders and sexualities (pp. 85–98) Illinois: University of Illinois Press.
Published
2021-06-01
How to Cite
JEROME, Collin; TING, Su-Hie; JIIN-YIH YEO, Jacinta.
Examining the Human Dignity Factor and the Public’s Attitudes Towards LGBT in Malaysia.
Asian Journal of Behavioural Sciences, [S.l.], v. 3, n. 2, p. 14-22, june 2021.
ISSN 2710-5865.
Available at: <https://myjms.mohe.gov.my/index.php/ajbs/article/view/13453>. Date accessed: 14 sep. 2024.
Section
Articles
