Malaysia

Demographics

Estimated Total Population:

31.5 million

World Bank, 2018

Estimated SGM Population:

N/A

N/A

Estimated Total SGM Adult Population:

N/A

N/A

Estimated % of SGM Adults (18+):

N/A

N/A

There is no legal protection of SGM populations in Malaysia, with some even denying the existence of these populations within the community. Attitudes toward the LGBTQ community in Malaysia is shaped by the official state religion, Islam. Hypervisibility of SGMs is problematic in Malaysia as state-level Sharia laws prohibit cross-dressing, promote homophobia and socioculturally driven stigma. Transgender people "face arbitrary arrest, physical and sexual assault, imprisonment, discriminatory denial of health care and employment, and other abuses” (Human Rights Watch, 2015).

Malaysia's Laws and Policies from ILGA World Report (2019)

RECOGNITION
Marriage for Same-Sex Couples
No
Civil Unions
No
Joint Adoption
No
Second Parent Adoption
No
PROTECTION
Employment Nondiscrimination Laws
No
Broad Protections
No
Criminalization of Violence
No
Ban of Conversion Therapy
No
CRIMINALIZATION
Consensual Same-Sex Acts are Legal?
No
Gender
Any Gender
Max Penalty (Yrs in Prison)
20

Selected Published Studies, Reports, and Other Documents

Brown, J., Low, W.Y., Tai, R., Tong, W.T. (2016) Shame, Internalized Homonegativity, and Religiosity: A Comparison of the Stigmatization Associated with Minority Stress with Gay Men in Australia and Malaysia, International Journal of Sexual Health, 28:1, 28-36, DOI: 10.1080/19317611.2015.1068902

Earnshaw, V.A., Jin, H., Wickersham, J.A. et al. Stigma Toward Men Who Have Sex with Men Among Future Healthcare Providers in Malaysia: Would More Interpersonal Contact Reduce Prejudice?. AIDS Behav 20, 98–106 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-015-1168-x

Lim, S., Akbar, M., Wickersham, J., Kamarulzaman, A., & Altice, F. (2018, March 28). The management of methamphetamine use in sexual settings among men who have sex with men in Malaysia. Retrieved June 10, 2020, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0955395918300586?casa_token=PWeGK1_XVpoAAAAA%3AwJppK2srkGJXCTtTQvsVhI6Gxa3QKg0ceQXaE6gY8VrF753ypPqIGfhy89Hrtia8b1hKEkqoEA

Liow, J.W., Fazli Khalaf, Z., Mohammad Ameeruddin, N.A. et al. The Experience of Intimate Relationships Among Homosexual Men in Malaysia. Sexuality & Culture 21, 1140–1156 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-017-9442-x

Sin How Lim, Shan-Estelle Brown, Stacey A. Shaw, Adeeba Kamarulzaman, Frederick L. Altice & Chris Beyrer (2020) “You Have to Keep Yourself Hidden”: Perspectives From Malaysian Malay-Muslim Men Who Have Sex With Men on Policy, Network, Community, and Individual Influences on HIV Risk, Journal of Homosexuality, 67:1, 104-126, DOI: 10.1080/00918369.2018.1525946