Should pageant orgainser be criticised for having transgender runway coach Nizam Jalil as judge?

 

“DUDE looks like a lady,” screeched Steven Tyler on Aerosmith’s big comeback hit of the same name from 1987.

While the tune was a playful dig at a certain male singer – Vince Neil of Motley Crue – who was mistaken for a lady, there is no such playfulness with regard to the runway coach Nizam Jalil being named as a judge on the Miss and Mister Celebrity International 2025 event.

In fact, the reaction has been one of near universal condemnation if feedback on social media is to be believed.

One example is a post by television presenter, actress and singer Nor Iesyatirradiah Sanny Toh a.k.a. Iesya Toh who likened the naming of the catwalk guru as a judge to a normalisation of LGBTQ+ lifestyle.

The poster who is also known to be a Malay activist also fumed at a seeming loss of sensitivities following the controversy of naming Starbucks as a partner for Visit Malaysia 2026 (VMY 2026).

In that instance, it was argued the partnership with a foreign brand undermines the promotion of local Malaysian businesses.

“(The) organiser should be ashamed supporting and enabling this perverse culture,” she grumbled.

The post has generated 2.8K likes, 1.4K comments and 551 shares at the time of writing with many commenters also stamping their marl of disapproval.

Needless to say, some commenters were ultra-quick to point to this as more evidence of moral decay under the Madani government.

The opposing political views were very much on display as some were just hell bent on equating a pro-LGBTQ+ agenda with the current administration and its “liberal” leaders.

Those on the other side of the fence merely questioned if such episodes were completely absent under previous governments?

One political observer claimed that there were many people who lead a LGBTQ+ lifestyle in Kelantan despite PAS being in power for over three decades.

Another was distinctly unimpressed by attempts to politicise this issue but was met with a barrage of anti-Madani comments.

When will the law punish cross-dressers? This was the enquiry by one commenter who lamented that real women were busy covering up while cross-dressers were flourishing like “mushrooms after a downpour”.

Pointing out that relevant laws were available to punish such individuals, this commenter urged the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) to flex its muscles.

Editor’s Note: In Malaysia, cross-dressing is primarily criminalised under state-level Sharia (Islamic) laws which only applies to Muslims. There is no specific federal “Act” that universally bans cross-dressing for all citizens; instead, different states have their own enactments.

All 13 states and the Federal Territories have Sharia laws that prohibit a Muslim man from “posing as a woman” in a public place. Some states also criminalise a woman posing as a man).

One thing that is certain in Malaysia is that the mere mention of LGBTQ+ lifestyles is sure to provoke extreme reactions, especially among the walaun (slang for ultra-conservative PAS supporters) fraternity and like-minded folks.

Nizam Jalil (right) with Miss Charm Malaysia 2025 Jessrina Kaur (Image credit: Nizam Jalil/Facebook)

This demographic will use any opportunity to besmirch Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and slandering him as a shameless sodomite.

This appointment of the famed pageant trainer on the judging panel for this event would seem logical by way of expertise and experience.

However, it is very much a poke in the eye to ultra-conservatives who are unable to swallow that an individual who committed no crime except overtly practices LGBTQ+ lifestyle has been given such a prominent platform.

Which side of the fence one sits will greatly determine the path this nation takes. Choose wisely. –  Focus Malaysia