Does Psychosocial Support Improve the Socio Economic Status of a Marginalized Group? A Case Study of the Transgender Community in Penang, Malaysia

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Kumarashwaran Vadevelu Suwara Kaewnuy Varunya Temrat Natsarin Saesa Thanidaphat Saengtong Wanapat Sangkaew

Abstract

          Discrimination, social prejudice and intolerance have dogged the transgender population due to their ‘confused’ and ‘mixed’ gender identity and sexual expression. Local communities especially in most third world countries where gender equality and acceptance of sexual minorities are lagging behind first world nations view them as something of an aberration and misfits particularly from the social and religious contexts. Legal and social protection and safeguards for the transgender community in conservative societies such as Malaysia is virtually nonexistent. This is the inspiration behind this qualitative study which analyses whether psychosocial support given by the older transgender community to their young counterpart has an impact on improving the latter’s socio-economic status. Additionally, this study examines social interaction challenges faced by the youth transgender community primarily due to their marginalization and alienation by the wider heterosexual society. A total of 18 respondents aged between 18 and 40 was selected for this study via a snowballing sampling technique. Results of the study suggest that: 1) psychosocial support given by the older transgender community does assist the young adult transgender to go through their daily life with minimal challenges, and 2) social interaction challenges faced by youth transgender are ironically originating from their own transgender community. Therefore, the study recommends that both government and non-governmental organizations play a more active role in instilling awareness in society about the challenges faced by the transgender community, to stop discrimination against them at all levels and accept them with dignity as fellow human beings. One step towards this is for the Malaysian government to institute legal and social protection for sexual minorities, in this case the transgender community, that would safeguard their interests and protect their human rights as enshrined in the Constitution.


Keywords: Transgender Youth, Psychosocial Support, Discrimination, Social Interaction Challenges, Awareness and Legal Support

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Research Articles

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How to Cite
VADEVELU, Kumarashwaran et al. Does Psychosocial Support Improve the Socio Economic Status of a Marginalized Group? A Case Study of the Transgender Community in Penang, Malaysia. Journal of Community Development Research (Humanities and Social Sciences), [S.l.], v. 15, n. 2, p. 98-110, may 2022. ISSN 2985-0231. Available at: <https://www.journal.nu.ac.th/JCDR/article/view/Vol-15-No-2-2022-98-110>. Date accessed: 26 apr. 2024. doi: https://doi.org/10.14456/jcdr-hs.2022.18.