Queer Lapis

Shame is powerful. In trying to come to terms with my true self, I had to understand the root of my shame. Where did it come from? Written By Faris Saad Published on 2 July 2024 “Just be yourself.” Three words could never be more loaded for a transgender person. For 30 years of my life, I had to hide who I was. What made it harder was the fact that I couldn’t be surer of who I wasn’t – a girl/woman. For all those years, I lived a lie. It didn’t help that every part of my existence depended on that lie.

Read this call for applications in English. Terdapat peningkatan dalam kes ancaman siber, daripada pengawasan dan penggodaman, kepada dedah maya (doxxing) di mana-mana sahaja. Lebih teruk lagi, adakah anda tahu bahawa komuniti LGBTIQ+ di Malaysia secara khususnya amat terdedah kepada risiko keselamatan digital seperti ini?

There is a rise in cases of cyber threats, from surveillance and hacking to doxxing everywhere. Even worse, do you know that LGBTIQ+ people in Malaysia are especially vulnerable to digital security risks like these? The PROTECT Digital Security Fellowship is a six-month paid program by PLUHO and Internews that aims to provide LGBTIQ+ activists, community leaders, and members with digital security knowledge.

Tamil translation below By Sikh and Gay from East Malaysia Published on 25 July 2023 I was asked to write about being Indian from an East Malaysia perspective and how that experience was.

By Queer Malaysian Indians Published on 29 July 2023 Understanding SOGIESC (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Expression, and Sex Characteristics) is important for Queer Malaysian Indians as it helps recognize and embrace the diversity of human identities and experiences.

By Nicole Fong and Rachel Ong | 16 January 2023 Samiira, a Somali refugee, arrived in Malaysia almost two months ago. As a trans woman, she  had to leave Somalia to escape the rampant verbal abuse from her family members and neighbours. Although being away from her home country provides a slight relief, Malaysia isn’t exactly the safest of places for folks like her. Since arriving, she has mostly remained in the confines of her room, leaving only to get daily necessities.

LGBTIQ+ refugees and migrants in Malaysia have dire needs and they urgently need support. Because of their sexual orientation, gender identity and expression (SOGIE), many are forced to migrate and seek asylum from discrimination and persecution faced in their home country.

Queer Lapis is a website run by and for the LGBTIQ+ community. Together, we unpeel the layers of our hearts in order to reveal the rainbow in Malaysia.

Queer Lapis is a website run by and for the LGBTIQ+ community. Together, we unpeel the layers of our hearts in order to reveal the rainbow in Malaysia.

Have you heard of the phrases “balik ke pangkal jalan”, “kembali ke fitrah”, or “hijrah”?These are terms commonly used in Malaysia to refer to conversion practices. Conversion practices or SOGIE Change Efforts are a collection of dehumanising, harmful practices that aim to change a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression from gay to straight or trans to cisgender.