Malaysian Transwoman Appointed As Political Secretary Hopes For Equal Treatment

Anna Julia Cooper once said in a famous quote about Black women, 'When and where I enter, then and there the entire race enters with me'.
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33 year old Hazreen Shaik Daud probably feels the same way right now every time she walks into work as the newly appointed political secretary for Tanjung Bungah assemblyman Teh Yee Cheu in Malaysia.

Trans women have been catching hell there, especially in the Malaysian Muslim trans community as they fight for visibility and acceptance.

Assemblyman Teh in the recent Penang State Assembly pointed out that trans people were targeted with discrimination and requested a special committee be set up to investigate the issues and problems facing our trans cousins there.

She was a project officer with the Penang Family Health Development Association who speaks four languages and has a degree in information technology.   She said certain companies had refused to employ her expressing concerns that she would not be able to fit into a male dominated workplace.  

Hazreen had come in contact with Teh multiple times as part of her job with the Penang Family Health Development Association and offered her the position as his political secretary earlier in the year.

Once he explained the duties of her position, she accepted it. "I am grateful to YB for offering this job to me and I am looking forward to the challenge."

She's also hoping that by her excelling in this position, it will pave the way towards equal treatment for the entire trans community.  "It is difficult for us to be hired by companies so I hope that with my appointment, we can show that we are as capable in our work as others,” she said.