Khairy Sulaiman’s Arrest Reveals Seamy Side of Singapore’s Gender Politics
Posted: May 15, 2010 Filed under: Transgenderism, Uncategorized 20 Comments »May 15, 2010
Cabby, transvestite fined for sex in cab
A CABBY and a transvestite were caught in the throes of passion by a policeman on patrol in Changi.Yesterday, taxi driver Lee Hak Huat, 53, and beauty adviser Khairy Sulaiman, 28, were each fined $800 for behaving in an indecent manner.
They admitted to appearing nude and engaging in sexual activities inside Lee’s cab, which was parked at Turnhouse Road, opposite the former Changi Hospital, in the early hours of April 23.
Caught with pants down. Photo: Straits Times
A magistrate’s court heard that Lee had met Khairy earlier at Changi Village and began chatting. They agreed to have sex and Khairy got into Lee’s taxi. There, Khairy removed his top, while Lee removed his pants. Khairy allowed Lee to caress him.
About 15 minutes later, police officer Adrian Quek passed by and detained them.
Pleading for leniency, Khairy said he was a first-time offender. Lee had nothing to say.
Both could have been fined up to $1,000 or jailed for up to one month each.
- Straits Times, Singapore, 15 May 10
My analysis
When in doubt, use the label “transvestite” – this seems to be the guiding rule for Singapore’s English newspapers. In this instance, Khairy Sulaiman, whom I believe to be a transgender woman and not a transvestite, was fined for having sex with a cabby at Singapore’s notorious Changi Village, a hotspot for transgender sex workers. That Khairy was labelled a “transvestite” is due to her pre-operative status. According to the Singapore media rule book, to call her “she” would be to destabilise the binary male/male structure that governs our lives and underpins Christian orthodoxy.
Khairy and her counterparts in Singapore who make frequent guest appearances in our newspapers as “transvestites” are being positioned as perverts and felons who use their dubious sexuality/gender to entrap ”unsuspecting” men. This, in turn, perpetuates the myth that “men who dress up as women” are perverts and criminals. Every transgender woman and girl is tainted by association.
Khairy is one of many Malay transgender women in Singapore who hold regular jobs as beauty advisers but who also choose to engage in sex work at Changi Village, Orchard Towers, etc. Some of these women come from genuinely distressed economic backgrounds - chased out by their families, they have nowhere to go and their paltry income is hardly enough to help them pay rent and put food on the table. But I also know of others who use sex work to supplement their lavish lifestyles. One aspiring model famously told me it was beneath her to use public transport. Enough said.
The Khairy Sulaiman arrest reveals age-old faultlines in our media’s understanding (or lack thereof) of transgender women in Singapore. It exposes many unknowns about transgender sex workers in Singapore - and the male customers who use their services. It’s time for the authorities to put aside their personal biases and squeamishness, and reach out to this unique demographic in Singapore.
Start by surveying the Changi Village and Orchard Towers transgender sex workers and their patrons on their sexual health knowledge and practices – are they using condoms? Who do they turn to for STIs prevention advice? If the male patrons fight shy of surveyors, refer them to the Centre for Communicable Diseases at point of arrest – why waste a golden opportunity?
Thus far, a lot of attention has been placed on Men Having Sex with Men (MSMs), with NGOs that reach out to MSMs receiving the bulk of financial support for their outreach programmes. But transgender sex workers are not likely to identify with MSMs because they are simply not men. The sexual dynamics are very different, with serious public health implications. Neither are their male customers likely to be gay. This is simply not a gay issue. It’s a uniquely transgender issue. And we ignore this at our peril.
Oh my! These sorts of fellows will be the first to tell you they “aren’t gay.” Next they usually say they’ve always liked “special girls with something extra.” They tend to want something long and male up their behinds. So they lose interest unless you’re “hung” and “functional.” They love us until they learn we have a vagina. It’s predictable. And at least the “MSMs” terminology is an attempt at outreach that intends not to try to stigmatise anyone as gay, which they don’t consider themselves (what they say about us when their wives or mates get suspicious is another issue). Riskwise, men who have sex with men have similar risks to men who have sex with pre-op transwomen, and vice-versa, and the risk to each party is different than the risks to either the man or the woman during vaginal sex. As someone in public health, I can say that outside of Singapore, public health authorities in most of europe and the us don’t address transgender escorts as male during interviews, even if the sexual activity is classified as “MSM” for reporting purposes. There are outreach programs for transgender sex workers that are sensitive and respectful, even if they don’t exist in singapore. I think that the transgender community faces bigger challenges than public health authorities who are insufficiently sensitive with respect to terminology, when johns are still murdering transsexuals outright in practically every country because they lack any sort of basic human respect for us. A transgender escort’s relative risk of being murdered dramatically exceeds her relative risk of dying of an STI such as HIV. That is the bigger and more tragic public health issue. And since you don’t hear much about such murders in Singapore’s press, my guess is that they are simply being covered up. That is where the sunlight needs to shine!
http://www.exgaywatch.com/wp/2009/11/malaysia-report-transgender-day-of-remembrance
http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/8161345.Firefighter_relives_horror_of_murdered_Brighton_prostitute_find/
Agree. Just a point about the so-called “tranny chasers”. Sam Winter’s colleague is researching into the psychological profile of men who like “chicks with dicks”. He feels they are neither “gay” nor “heterosexual” as we understand these demographics, but perhaps a hybrid of both. I’m looking forward to the research findings.
Sigmund Freud would be so proud
I’m going to do an art performance tonight at The Substation to commemorate Singapore AIDS Candlelight Memorial 2010.
There is still so much stigma and ignorance about HIV/AIDS that is targeted at our community. More so, reaching out to transgenders and transgender sex workers under the MSM umbrella is insufficient because they have more specific needs.
love
marla bendini
On the issue of the media’s insensitivity in terms of the use of labels/incorrect pronouns and portrayal of transgenders as perverts/felons, one can’t help but feel that this is an inevitable product of the Govt’s stand of not wanting to “promote” “alternative lifestyles”, “family structures other than the traditional heterosexual couple”, etc. etc. Mainstream media, through self-censorship to tow the line, is effectively muzzled from raising transgender or gay issues and therefore what you end up with is one-sided reporting as things like infringements of the law get publicised but issues like discrimination goes unreported. The Govt does not care to try to draw the line between “educating” and “promoting” – it seems to be an absolute ‘no’ when it comes to publicising any transgender or gay issues. (In any case, how one “promotes” transgenderism or homosexuality is beyond me – like “it’s hip to be a transgender, so why not go remove your male ‘member’”??!) We’re on our own on this as it’s not a vote-winning (heck, may well be a vote-losing) priority of the Govt to help us educate the public to foster greater tolerance.
[...] a concern [Thanks D] – TOC: The Conservative Renaissance – Part 1 – Leona’s Blog: Khairy Sulaiman’s Arrest Reveals Seamy Side of Singapore’s Gender Politics – New Asia Republic: National conversations: monopoly no more [Thanks [...]
Its amazing how men who prefer “chicks with dicks” are considered straight and not gay (they claimed they don’t have sexual attraction towards males) but yet pre op transexuals are considered gay and not straight. Double standards.
The verdict is still out on the sexual orientation of men who prefer “chicks with dicks”. Renowned expert Sam Winter says that you can’t call them gay, it’s not as simple as that. His colleague is studying this unique category of men. I don’t like categories, but sometimes, it’s useful to say, hey, there’s a group of men who have this preference, let’s respect that. Because equally, there are transgender women who are fine with that.
How does someone become a renowned expert in tranny chasers? Is there a Journal of the Study of Tranny Chasers, or even a formal academic term for tranny chaser?
Renowned experts in wines are often connoisseurs too, and while they may not enjoy benders they nonetheless partake for pleasure. Frequently people take a research interest in subjects that touch them personally. Of course, someone who researchs poverty has not necessarily lived in poverty, and I’m sure that Leona’s academic contacts are entirely respectable.
As for trans-fans, like most things in nature, I think there is probably a spectrum. A few of those guys have their own gender issues. And if there is any consideration that guys who chase “chicks with dicks” are wholly straight, just take a peek at their gross forums. They get off not only on penises in skirts, but youngish-appearing men in make-up called femboys. Yuck, I don’t like trans-fans and I think they hurt us.
I think why guys got turn off by some trans is because of their:
1) Over exaggeration mannerlism, making them too unreal and vain,
2) Low manly voice, a turn off.
3) the fact that they are not original is a big turn off.
Sisters, just be yourself and dont over do it, have confident, with a positive image, people will definitely feel comfortable and be ready to accept.
I like to quote an example, Nong Poy, if you watch youtube just type this name, you will find clips of this famous miss tiffany who is a model and actress. I think she is really cool!
I think your characterisation is patronising and unfair, and based on stereotypes of Orchard Towers and CV transgender sex workers. It is really like saying “all gay men are …” Well, I would also say, “Just be yourself gay guy.” I do not believe Nong Poy is a good example – I would rather turn to Khartini Slamah and Sass Rogando Sasot as role models. These are your average-looking activists who toil for their fellow sisters. No one can make sweeping statements about transgender women unless you have encountered everyone of us or a representative sample size
There will soon be academic papers if these “gross” forums are anything to go by. The verdict is still out. Are men who are keen on so-called pre-operative transgender women perverts or do their feelings extend beyond genitalia? I know a number of sisters who are involved with these men.
Hi Leona, i agree not all are like that. There are some who are like that. I used to think all are like that. Until i read about bangkok trans scene and you, i mean you are all normal people who are educated and with talent, i mean such positive image that you all bring out, change the misconception of people.
Thanks for your feedback! I always remember what someone once said that there are transgender women with beards, with lots of hair, with everything we don’t conventionally associate with being feminine but they are still women! The images of ultra-feminine Asian women are but one part of the spectrum.
Unfortunately, long after the workers in Hong Kong have published their findings, I think the issue will still remain controversial. Dr. Mildred Brown and Helen Boyd have written on them, and I concur with much of their work.
Although these men proclaim their love and devotion, they often leave their “loves” after SRS. The feelings don’t seem to extend beyond genitalia. Hopefully those women still involved with these men have better luck, but I’m not betting money on it.
Again, I don’t like how you dismiss the Hong Kong team here. Sam Winter and his colleagues are no less established than the researchers you have cited. Until more research is done we have to put our personal squeamishness aside and accept that these girls and guys know what they are getting into and we’ve to respect their choices.
[...] [Thanks D] – TOC: The Conservative Renaissance – Part 1 [Recommended] – Leona’s Blog: Khairy Sulaiman’s Arrest Reveals Seamy Side of Singapore’s Gender Politics – New Asia Republic: National conversations: monopoly no more [Thanks D] – TOC: The conservative [...]
http://thecourtroom.stomp.com.sg/stomp/courtroom/case_of_the_day/375786/cabby_transvestite_fined_for_sex_in_cab.html
Just a better link to show Sulaiman’s photo. She is clearly a transgender woman from her presentation, in case anyone disputes that she was a cross-dresser.
Thanks for this – I wll post this on my AKS website. Appreciate your “investigation”!!!
[...] here for my opinion piece on the Khairy Sulaiman [...]
Just something I found in course of research, no special investigation actually. Pictures speak a thousand words. As far as I am aware (but iffy as Factiva has missing articles), there were no photos of the victim in the AMK homicide case. Not sure why they did not run her photos, but if they did, they would look a little silly calling her a “he” despite her female presentation. From the reports, apparently she was so passable some people presumed she was cisgender.
To disgress a little, the cabby looked like he was about to clobber some people, hahaha… quoting some local forummers “anke/shu shu look veri fierce leh…”