A Malaysian transgender activist, Khartini Slamah, one of the first to mobilize the community in the late 1980’s, received the prestigious Hero Award in Bangkok from the advocacy group APCOM Sunday night.
Khartini, who goes by Kak Tini, was among 21 other finalists from over 350 nominations submitted of trans activists in the region. Seven others were awarded along with Kak Tini.
APCOM’s social media post stated that Kak Tini had dedicated over 30 years of service to the community, defending their human rights, working for better HIV awareness and advocacy, as well as working internationally to bring more attention to the trans, and sex worker community.
Kak Tini began her foray into advocacy in 1987, at the height of the AIDS crisis and lack of understanding behind it. Along with transgender actress Mimi Zarina, they worked with the Mak Nyah Association, which later gave birth to the iconic term that local trans women used to identify themselves – “Mak Nyah.”
Most recently, she had been working with HIV-vulnerable communities in Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, and East Timor.
Kak Tini has helped shed light on the difficulties endured by the trans community in recent times, especially Muslim ones, with increasing harassment from religious authorities, who question their faith in Islam, as well as more raids.
Fellow Malaysian transgender icon Nisha Ayub, who received honors from the US Secretary of State for her own advocacy work, sent Kak Tini congrats over social media.
Can we add more congrats, and lots of pride from us here at Coconuts KL? WOOOO!
