Legal Dignity, an LBQ-led feminist legal organisation, is empowering LBQ women in Malaysia through initiatives like the LBQ Town Hall, providing a vital platform for LBQ women to share their experiences and foster community solidarity.
In a country where same-sex relationships are criminalised and LGBTQI individuals face significant discrimination, this event offered a rare and crucial safe space. This flagship initiative aimed to elevate the visibility of LBQ issues and individuals within the country, where they face discrimination ranging from online harassment to legal barriers impacting their freedoms and access to essential services.
The Town Hall provided a crucial safe space for LBQ women to share personal experiences and perspectives, fostering a powerful sense of community and solidarity. One participant shared “By organising LBQ convenings, we create a space for the community to come together, get to know each other, and build their own safe spaces. Through these convenings, we can also identify other challenges within the community.”
Following the Town Hall, Legal Dignity launched a needs assessment survey targeting LBQ individuals across Malaysia. This survey will help identify the gap between current realities and desired conditions, while also gathering proposed solutions and hopes from the community. The information collected from both the LBQ Town Hall and needs assessment will directly inform Legal Dignity’s advocacy efforts and strategic planning, enabling them to address human rights challenges faced by LBQ individuals, mobilise resources, and conduct further research to increase visibility and drive meaningful social change.