"Very sad," the driver said. "They just want to cari makan but the police don't like it." Cari makan is Malay for "earn a living".

I thought that was an interesting comment, coming as it did from a driver with a wispy goatee and a skullcap, indicating his devoutness as a Muslim.

However, the reality of human gender, from time immemorial, is that there is no clear boundary. Persons at or close to the boundary therefore face enormous problems if orthodox Islam is the reigning paradigm. Male-to-female transgenders (MtF) are often the most visible victims of this clash of theory and reality.

MtF are, to put it a bit simplistically, people who see themselves as female, but trapped in a male body.

This dilemma can be resolved in a number of different ways. One is for society to understand this reality and just treat them as, well, people. If they want to adopt feminine mannerisms and dress, and wish to be called by a female-sounding name, then so be it. If they wish to remain androgynous, so be it too.

Another is for them to physically change their bodies to conform to what society considers as a typical female body, to enable them to pass fully as female.

(That said, not all MtF wish to go for sex change. Some prefer to remain cross-dressers or just androgynous.)

But modern society and its bureaucratic state has added another layer of difficulty -- documentation. You are not fully female until the state says so. Even if all your family and friends think of you as female, strangers (e.g. prospective employers or passport control officers) treat you according to your documentation.

Even here, the solution is not difficult. Just be accommodating in documentation. Why not describe the reality? If a person has undergone sex reassignment surgery, why not classify that person according to his new sex? Even if a person has not done so, why do we insist on describing that person as male when outwardly he does not look male? Why do we insist on having only two categories for gender: Male and Female?

It's as absurd as our identity cards saying someone is Chinese because his paternal grandfather is Chinese; never mind if 75 percent of his genes are from Caucasian forebears and he looks Caucasian, blonde haired, blue eyes and all.

These otherwise obvious solutions have become huge obstacles for one simple reason: The modern state wields its documentary power as a tool for controlling people. This is achieved through classification, which imposes on the subject restrictions or statutory obligations as a consequence. It also has indirect effects, in that the rest of society refers to the classification as a guide to how they should treat (or mistreat) these persons.

Particularly where a state is under the influence of ideology, then all the more it is unable to be accommodating about documentation. The demands of ideology often override the need for accuracy in records.

Malaysia is one such example when it comes to the issue of MtF. Sex change operations were banned about 20 – 25 years ago, because it was deemed to be against the teachings of Islam. Without recognising such surgery, no male can be reclassified as female. That left lots of transgendered Malaysians in limbo, as cross-dressers.

"Fine," say some transgender activists, "just classify us as Transgender on our identity cards and passports."

Yet, that is not possible either, because Islam only recognises two genders.

And now, cross-dressing is also said to be against Shariah law. So, they're committing an offence if they try to be what they feel themselves to be, even if only outwardly.

Was that why the officers were trying to arrest the MtF's that night?

More likely, since I was passing through the Chow Kit area, a part of Kuala Lumpur well known for transgender prostitution, it was an anti-vice operation. But, really, prostitution is just a symptom of a deeper problem. Partly as an effect of Islam, Malaysian society is heavily prejudiced against transgenders; they can't get normal jobs. So what else can they do to make a living?

Even the devoutly Muslim taxi-driver understood.

* * * * *

 
Josie (not her real name) has a proper job. She is a receptionist at a gay guesthouse in Thailand. At work, she wears a kind of uniform -- black slacks and a unisex shirt -- like all other employees wear. But her long hair, painted nails and style of speaking give her away. So does her Adam's apple.

This guesthouse has five floors and no lift. What it promises on its website is that employees will help guests carry their luggage up to their rooms.

Normally, there are two employees on duty at any time, but that morning, one of them called in sick and Josie was alone.

An elderly and slightly arthritic man came in through the front door to check in. He had a large sling bag and a trolley bag, which the taxi-driver helped him with. After the paperwork was done, Josie said to the guest, "I will show you to your room now," slinging one bag over her shoulder and taking the other by its handle.

The silver-haired guest was all flustered. "No, no, I can do it," he said to her.

"It's no problem, "Josie said. "It's my job, and anyway the room is on the third floor." In Thailand, "Third floor" means four floors up.

"But you are..." the old gent didn't know how to complete that sentence. Was she a lady? Was she a man? Belonging to a different generation, he must have found it extremely awkward to have a female carry his bags for him. Yes, it's part of her job, and yes, she was clearly fit enough to do it. But she's female! Or was she not?

We're all socialised to treat males and females differently, so even the most modern-minded of us find it hard to cope with situations such as the above. This incident took place in a gay guesthouse, for heaven's sake. Even if we can fix the law, there is still a long, long way to go before we stop seeing transgenders as awkwardly different. In fact, to get there, we may have to stop seeing male and female with all the attendant and implied division of social roles, and only see people as people. 

© Yawning Bread