ASEAN and Its Member States Must Stand Against the Rising Repression of Transgender and LGBTIQ Communities Across Southeast Asia. Press Release by the ASEAN Civil Society Conference and ASEAN People’s Forum – 16 September 2026

The Malaysia National Organising Committee of the ASEAN Civil Society Conference/ASEAN People’s Forum is deeply alarmed by the growing regression of the rights, safety, dignity, and fundamental freedom of transgender and LGBTIQ people across Southeast Asia.

Across the region, we are witnessing increasingly hostile rhetoric, discriminatory policies, institutionalised stigma and violence targeting transgender and LGBTIQ people. In different forms and to varying degrees, governments and state institutions are increasingly treating transgender and LGBTIQ people as threats to religion, morality, culture, public order or national security. Such narratives not only undermine fundamental human rights, but also creates environment discrimination, persecution and violence.

In Malaysia, the public denunciation early this month by the Religious Affairs Minister, Dr. Zulkifli bin Hasan, of a Malaysian participant who competed in Miss Equality World 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand, is deeply troubling. It is equally concerning that the participation of a Malaysian transgender person in an international event has been characterised as an act that has tarnished Malaysia’s image. We condemn any attempt by government institutions or state religious authorities to investigate, summon or potentially penalise an individual on the basis of their gender identity or expression. No person should face state discrimination or punishment for being transgender or exercising their right to freedom of expression. Government officials and public institutions have a responsibility to protect the dignity and fundamental freedoms of all people, rather than reinforce stigma against already marginalised communities.

In Indonesia, the situation has also taken an alarming institutional direction. The government officially classified the “spread of LGBTQ culture” as a non-military threat to national security. Under this regulation, LGBTQ identities and expression are placed within a framework alongside issues such as terrorism, radicalism and other perceived threats to national sovereignty. This decision is profoundly dangerous as it legitimises surveillance and risks normalising censorship, raids, intimidation, exclusion and other forms of state intervention. It also risks emboldening individuals and groups who believe that violence against LGBTQ people is justified as seen in the string of organised attacks in July 2026 targeting transgender women in Bogor, West Java. The securitisation of LGBTQ identities transforms a human rights issue into a security issue and risks giving state and non-state actors greater justification to police, restrict and punish people simply for who they are.

In Myanmar, three young LGBTIQ humanitarian workers, En Thar, Myat Thu, and Leon, from The Ants Humanitarian Aid Team in Tanintharyi Region were reportedly arbitrarily detained by Myanmar junta in July 2026 while providing humanitarian assistance to communities affected by conflict. Their bodies were subsequently found with severe injuries. A recent investigation by Fortify Rights found evidence that these humanitarian aid workers, along with two other civilians, were detained, tortured and killed by the military junta. [1] These deaths form part of a wider pattern of arbitrary detention, torture, enforced disappearance and extrajudicial killing perpetrated by Myanmar’s military against LGBTIQ people.

In the Philippines, at least four transwomen, Betty Benito, Jang Macawili, Teddy Federico, and Bella Lutap, were brutally murdered between June and August 2026. These deaths are devastating reminders that transgender people remain exposed to lethal violence and that societies must confront the conditions that allow such violence to persist. With the contribution of Society of Trans Women of the Philippines (STRAP) and fellow trans and queer organisations, the Makabayan Bloc has since filed House Resolution No. 1369 to probe investigation into hate crimes and killings targeted at transgender. [2]

These developments cannot be viewed merely as isolated national incidents. The dangerous trajectory unfolding across Southeast Asia must be recognised. When governments and state institutions legitimise the exclusion, dehumanisation or persecution of transgender people, the space for discrimination and violence expands. When discrimination is institutionalised, society receives a dangerous signal about whose lives and dignity matter. This is why the rhetoric coming from governments across Southeast Asia matters. State rhetoric can shape laws, policies and public attitudes, and can either protect marginalised communities or expose them to even greater harm.

We recognise that the political, legal and social contexts differ across countries, and the forms and severity of repression cannot be equated. However, the increasing use of state authority, public institutions and political rhetoric to stigmatise, exclude and target trans and LGBTIQ people is a serious regional human rights threat that demands collective action. These developments point to an increasingly concerning regional pattern in which gender identity and sexual orientation are being instrumentalised within broader narratives of morality, religion, public order and national security.

As civil society committed to a people-centred ASEAN, we stand in solidarity with transgender and LGBTIQ communities across Southeast Asia and with the human rights defenders, humanitarian workers and community organisations working alongside them. Trans and LGBTIQ people are part of our diverse societies. Their safety is a responsibility shared by all, and their human rights must be respected, protected and fulfilled without discrimination.

In response to these ongoing violations, we hereby demand governments of ASEAN Member States to:

1. End discrimination and persecution against transgender and LGBTIQ people, including discrimination carried out or enabled by state institutions.
2. Refrain from using religion, morality, culture, public order or national security as a pretext to restrict fundamental rights or target transgender and LGBTIQ people.
3. Protect freedom of expression, conscience, belief, association and peaceful assembly for transgender and LGBTIQ people and the civil society organisations that support them.
4. Ensure prompt, impartial and effective investigations into violence, killings, arbitrary detention and other human rights violations targeting transgender and LGBTIQ people, and ensure accountability for perpetrators.

We also call on ASEAN to:

1. Ensure that ASEAN human rights mechanisms respond to emerging patterns of repression, including the securitisation of LGBTIQ identities, restrictions on civil society, arbitrary detention and violence.
2. Protect and expand civic space for human rights defenders, particularly those working with marginalised communities, including LGBTIQ persons, and those documenting violations in contexts of conflict and authoritarian repression.
3. Engage constructively with civil society and affected communities in developing regional policies and responses concerning human rights, equality and non-discrimination.

Endorsed by

• ACSC/APF 2026
• Ana Jonessy / Kita Cambah
• Arus Pelangi (Indonesia)
• ASEAN SOGIE Caucus
• ASEAN Youth Forum
• Comrades of Rohingya Youth
• Greater Equitable Measures (GEM)
• KL Queer Space (Malaysia)
• Kolektif Feminis Malaysia (KFM)
• Legal Dignity, Malaysia
• Lembaga Bantuan Hukum (Indonesia)
• Manushya Foundation
• MilkTeaAlliance Calendar Team
• MilkTeaAlliance Friends of Myanmar
• New Bloom Magazine (Taiwan)
• North South Initiative
• Pride In Research (Malaysia)
• Queer Margins #55 (Taiwan)
• Queers of Burma Alternative
• SIS Forum (Malaysia)
• Society of Trans Women of the Philippines (STRAP) Inc.
• Society of Young Social Innovators (SYSI: Thailand)
• Taiwan Transgender Self-Respect Coalition
• Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO)
• Young Key Populations Network, Cambodia

ACSC/APF is an alternative regional platform for civil society organisations in Southeast Asia to advocate for rights-based, people-centred policies and actions in the region. They hold an annual forum and side events parallel to the ASEAN Summit. For further information, contact ACSC/APF Malaysia at [email protected].

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