Now free from the Malaysian authorities, cosmetic entrepreneur Nur Sajat Kamaruzzaman said she has learnt more about human rights since her recent arrival in Australia, where she has been granted permanent resident status.
Speaking in a live interview with comedian Harith Iskander, Nur Sajat (above) expressed hope that more Malaysians, including from the LGBTQ+ community, would similarly be more aware of their own personal rights.
"I hope that we as humans, no matter LGBT, cisgender or others, we must know our rights.
"I would like to say, I want to continue with my life here and let whatever happened in Malaysia stay in the past," she said.
Having fled Malaysia to Thailand and later granted asylum in Australia, Nur Sajat said she could only focus on rebuilding her business empire, "from zero to emerge as a hero".
For many years the 35-year-old had courted controversies in Malaysia over her gender identity, including after she was charged in court and later protested media reports that used a deadname, as stated in official documents.
With no threat of any action, Nur Sajat in the interview now referred to herself as a transwoman, indicating she had gone through all the necessary procedures to transition.
"What has happened (in Malaysia) I will take it as a lesson and reminder. Maybe it has made me wiser as a transwoman, I now know my rights compared to when I was in Malaysia to now I'm here.
"Here I'm now more aware of basic human rights. And in this country they take their human rights law seriously," she said.
I know my mistakes, I am not perfect'
In the event that she was to be convicted by a Malaysian court, Nur Sajat noted that she risked being placed in a male prison.
"I am a transwoman, everything has changed already and so I will feel unsafe being inside the (male) prison," she added.
On her encounters with Malaysian religious authorities and individual clerics, Nur Sajat lamented that many appeared to act or speak based on hate, including those who she accused of assault and molest during a questioning session by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) office in January this year.
"I know my mistakes, I am not perfect... Sometimes I think how come they (religious authorities) can convert a person to be a Muslim, but they can't treat a fellow Muslim with love?" she said when asked to recap the triggers which led to her eventual decision to leave Malaysia.
Since the escape, Nur Sajat's story has made international headlines in Australia and beyond, but the mother to two adopted children - left in the care of her parents - indicated that her current focus is to start anew, after leaving the quarantine hotel next week.
Harith, as host of his weekly online series "What's Going on in Malaysia", ended the over one-hour long session, aired live on Facebook, by stating that his initial fascination with Nur Sajat's story had led to the decision to invite her as a guest.
Acknowledging comments from more than 6,000 viewers, Harith said: "At the end of the day my guest Nur Sajat is a human being. She admitted she is not perfect.
"To those of you who insist on attacking her, I am glad that you all are absolutely perfect. I am not defending anyone here, because I personally do not know her.
"And yes I keep using the word 'her' because there are those who said 'no, she's a he', but at the end of the day you are what you are and you are what you feel.
"I'm not out to oppose any documents but she identifies herself as 'her' and I respect how she identifies herself." - Mkini
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