Nur Sajat

Last updated
Nur Sajat
Born
Muhammad Sajjad bin Kamaruz Zaman

(1985-02-23) 23 February 1985 (age 38)
NationalityMalaysian (1985-2021) Australian (2021-Now)
Occupations
  • Entrepreneur
  • Social media influencer
Known forLGBT activism

Muhammad Sajjad bin Kamaruz Zaman (born 23 February 1985), better known as Nur Sajat, is a Malaysian-born Australian transgender entrepreneur, reality television host, and LGBT activist. Nur Sajat is an icon for transgender and LGBT rights in Malaysia in general. [1] [2] [3]

Biography

Nur Sajat was born with both male and female genitalia and was considered intersex. Sajat took part in a transgender beauty contest in Thailand in 2013. In 2017, she announced she was identifying fully as a female. Sajat founded her own cosmetics company, having developed her own skincare and health supplements, and a corset carrying her brand name. [1] [2]

In January 2021, she was arrested and charged with “insulting Islam” for wearing traditional women's clothing in her own premises during a 2018 religious event. She fled to Thailand in February 2021, but the Malaysian government convinced Thai authorities to detain her. She was released on bail and is now living in Australia, where she was granted asylum and continues operating her business. [1] [4] [2] [3]

Related Research Articles

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to transgender topics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Thailand</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Thailand have several but not all of the same rights as non-LGBT people. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity are legal in Thailand, and same-sex marriage rights within the nation are pending legalisation. About eight percent of the Thai population, five million people, are thought to be in the LGBT demographic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Pakistan</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Pakistan face legal and social difficulties compared to non-LGBT persons. Pakistani law prescribes criminal penalties for same-sex sexual acts. The Pakistani Penal Code of 1860, originally developed under the British Raj, criminalises sodomy with possible penalties of prison sentences from two years to a life sentence and fines. Despite its illegality, homosexual acts are only occasionally prosecuted by authorities in Pakistan. Other morality and public order provisions in the Penal Code are however used to target LGBT Pakistanis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Malaysia</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Malaysia face severe challenges, prejudices and threats not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Sodomy is a crime in the country, with laws strictly enforced. Extrajudicial murders of LGBT people have also occurred in the country. There are no Malaysian laws that protect the LGBT community against discrimination and hate crimes. As such, the LGBT demographic in the country are hard to ascertain due to widespread fears from being ostracised and prosecuted, including violence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Nepal</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in Nepal have evolved significantly during the 21st century, though barriers to full equality still exist within the nation.

Joey Mead King is a Filipino-Iranian television personality, fashion lifestyle host, runway coach and is the model mentor/co-judge on popular reality show, Asia's Next Top Model cycles two and three. She was listed as one of BBC's 100 Women during 2018.

<i>Kathoey</i> Gender identity in Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand

Kathoey or katoey is an identity used by some people in Cambodia, Laos and Thailand, whose identities in English may be best described as transgender women in some cases, or effeminate gay men in other cases. These people are not traditionally transgender, however are seen as a third sex, being one body containing two souls. Transgender women in Thailand mostly use terms other than kathoey when referring to themselves, such as phuying. A significant number of Thai people perceive kathoey as belonging to a separate sex, including some transgender women themselves.

Mak Nyah, alternatively spelled maknyah, is a Malay vernacular term for trans women in Malaysia. It arose in the late 1980s in order to distinguish trans women from other minorities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Stryker</span> American professor, historian, author, and filmmaker

Susan O'Neal Stryker is an American professor, historian, author, filmmaker, and theorist whose work focuses on gender and human sexuality. She is a professor of Gender and Women's Studies, former director of the Institute for LGBT Studies, and founder of the Transgender Studies Initiative at the University of Arizona, and is currently on leave while holding an appointment as Barbara Lee Distinguished Chair in Women's Leadership at Mills College. Stryker serves on the Advisory Council of METI and the Advisory Board of the Digital Transgender Archive. Stryker, who is a transgender woman, is the author of several books about LGBT history and culture. She is a leading scholar of transgender history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miss International Queen</span> Beauty pageant for transgender women

Miss International Queen is the world's biggest beauty pageant for transgender women. The pageant was conceived in 2004 and named the largest and most prestigious by CNN original American documentary television series This Is Life with Lisa Ling aired on 26 November 2017.

Miss International Queen 2013, the 9th Miss International Queen pageant, was held on November 1, 2013, at Pattaya City in Thailand. Kevin Balot of the Philippines crowned her successor, Marcela Ohio of Brazil at the end of the event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neelofa</span> Malaysian actress, television presenter, commercial model and entrepreneur

Noor Neelofa Mohd Noor is a Malaysian actress, television presenter, commercial model and entrepreneur. She rose to fame when participated in a drama queen competition, Dewi Remaja, winning the Dewi Remaja 2009/10 title organised by the Malaysian teen magazine, Remaja. She received her Bachelor International Trade and Marketing education at Sunway University College. Neelofa was named amongst 'Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia' in 2017. Beyond her entertainment career, she has been involved in multiple business ventures and launched Naelofar Hijab.

The history of lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender people in Thailand spans thousands of years. But because of ancient beliefs, homosexuality and homosexual relationships have been seen as an abnormality both socially and mentally. In the 20th century, LGBT people received more stringent legal regulations regarding their orientation, with restrictions being gradually eased by the beginning of the 21st century. However, activism for LGBT people has been slow in development due to government inaction.

Portrayals of transgender people in mass media reflect societal attitudes about transgender identity, and have varied and evolved with public perception and understanding. Media representation, culture industry, and social marginalization all hint at popular culture standards and the applicability and significance to mass culture, even though media depictions represent only a minuscule spectrum of the transgender group, which essentially conveys that those that are shown are the only interpretations and ideas society has of them. However, in 2014, the United States reached a "transgender tipping point", according to Time. At this time, the media visibility of transgender people reached a level higher than seen before. Since then, the number of transgender portrayals across TV platforms has stayed elevated. Research has found that viewing multiple transgender TV characters and stories improves viewers' attitudes toward transgender people and related policies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transgender people and military service</span>

Not all armed forces have policies explicitly permitting LGBT personnel. Generally speaking, Western European militaries show a greater tendency toward inclusion of LGBT individuals. As of January 2021, 21 countries allow transgender military personnel to serve openly: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Cuba and Thailand reportedly allowed transgender service in a limited capacity. In 1974, the Netherlands was the first country to allow transgender military personnel. The United States has allowed transgender personnel to serve in the military under varying conditions since President Joe Biden signed an executive order that allowed them to do so.

The participation of transgender people in competitive sports, a traditionally sex-segregated institution, is a controversial issue, particularly the inclusion of transgender women and girls in women's sports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tamara Adrián</span> Venezuelan politician

Tamara Adrián is a Venezuelan politician, who was elected to the National Assembly of Venezuela in the 2015 Venezuelan parliamentary election. She is noted as the first transgender person elected to office in Venezuela, and only the second transgender member of a national legislature in the Western Hemisphere. Some early media coverage credited her as the first transgender member of a legislature in the Americas, but this was later corrected due to the election of Michelle Suárez Bértora to the Senate of Uruguay in 2014.

Jane Teoh is a Malaysian Chinese model and beauty pageant titleholder, who was crowned Miss Universe Malaysia 2018. She represented her country at the Miss Universe 2018 pageant and did not make it to the semifinalists round. This was the 48th consecutive year Malaysia did not place in the Miss Universe pageant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip</span> Thai executive (born 1979)

Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip, also known as Khun Anne or Anne Jakrajutatip, sometimes informally stylized as Anne JKN, is a Thai businesswoman, television host and Chief Executive Officer of JKN Global Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Byun Hui-su</span> South Korean veteran and activist (1998–2021)

Byun Hee-soo was the first known transgender soldier in South Korea.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Head, Jonathan (Nov 19, 2012). "Malaysian transgender woman Nur Sajat: 'I had to run away'". BBC.
  2. 1 2 3 Barker, Anne (October 22, 2021). "Malaysian transgender entrepreneur Nur Sajat fled her home, family and business in fear for her life. Now she's safe in Australia". ABC.
  3. 1 2 Chew, Amy (September 27, 2021). "Why is Malaysia so fascinated by Nur Sajat, the transgender tycoon who fled to Thailand?". South China Morning Post.
  4. KL, Coconuts (May 10, 2023). "Malaysian transgender celebrity Nur Sajat claps back at critics over showgirl performance". Yahoo News.