PETALING JAYA: A transgender activist in India has reportedly been told by the Malaysian consulate in the country to change her gender to “male” if she wishes to travel to Malaysia.
According to The Times of India, IT analyst Shane Anthony Mills was selected to speak as the country’s representative at Dell’s Employee Resource Group summit in Penang on Jan 28.
As a supporter of transgender rights in the country, she was reportedly chosen to speak on the subject of “pride”.
Her troubles began when she started applying for a visa. She quickly discovered that Malaysia’s online visa portal has no third gender option.
“I approached the Malaysian consulate in Chennai for help,” she was quoted as saying.
“To my shock, they asked me to change my gender to ‘male’ in my passport and reapply.”
Mills has since appealed to India’s Foreign Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for help.
“I have seen her come out and help numerous Indians stuck in foreign lands.
“I hope she will come out in support of a transgender as well,” she said, adding that she was not going to Malaysia on holiday, but to represent India.
According to the report, Mills has reached out to the Indian consulate in Malaysia as well. However, she said the staff there appeared “clueless” on the matter.
“I had to go through a lot – from my sex change operation to getting my paperwork in place after the 2014 Supreme Court verdict.
“And now, to be asked to change my gender once again to ‘male’ feels humiliating,” she was quoted as saying. -FMT
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