RESEARCHES OR STUDIES RELATED TO GENDER IDENTITY, SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND INTERSEX (SEX CHARACTERISTICS) 24. As mentioned earlier, transgender is not an easy topic to be discussed in Malaysia, however there are several researches that were conducted by academicians and non-governmental organisation, that shows how discriminatory practices affects transgender lives. 25. In a research entitled The Mak Nyahs: Malaysian Male to Female Transsexuals23 by Teh Yik Koon, it was highlighted that “….a large number of Mak Nyah are sex workers as they have difficulty in securing a decent job24; their housemates are both Mak Nyahs and non Mak Nyah and they usually have problem renting or buying houses25; they are also at risk of being caught by the police and the Islamic authority for indecent behaviour and cross dressing26.” 26. Irrefutably many researches on HIV/AIDS will always include transgender persons in their research’s purview. In the same research which “interviewed 15 Mak Nyahs from 5 major towns in Malaysia showed that knowledge of HIV/ AIDS was poor and practice of safe sex are low among the Mak Nyahs.27” 27. National human rights institutions (NHRIs) have also pursued studies relating to gender identity, sexual orientation and Intersex (sex characteristics). Some of their works include: (i) The New Zealand Human Rights Commission had conducted an Inquiry into Discrimination experienced by transgender People in 2006 which focused on “the nature and extent of discrimination experienced by transgender people; the accessibility of public health services to transgender people (incorporating the minimum core obligations of both the primary and secondary health services, including, but not limited to, gender reassignment services), and the barriers faced by transgender people when attempting to gain full legal recognition of their gender status.28” Among of the major findings of the inquiry was that “transgender people experience discrimination that affects their lives and compromise their safety”, and “four out of five submissions to the inquiry described discrimination: at school, trying to find job, in the street, and in trans people’s day to day interactions with shops, government agencies and health professional” .29 23 Teh Yik Koon, The Mak Nyahs: Malaysian Male to Female Transsexuals, Eastern University Press. 2002 24 Teh Yik Koon, The Mak Nyahs: Malaysian Male to Female Transsexuals, Eastern University Press. 2002. P.100 25 Ibid 26 Ibid 27 Teh YK. HIV- related needs for safety among male to female transsexual (mak nyah) in Malaysia. SAHARA J 2008; 5(4): 178-185 28 To Be Who I am”, New Zealand Transgender Inquiry report, New Zealand Human Rights Commission, 2008. P. 2 29 To Be Who I am”, New Zealand Transgender Inquiry report, New Zealand Human Rights Commission, 2008. P. 94 Report On Transgender Persons In KL And Selangor | 15