Alas, Aleesha application to change her name from Mohd Ashraf Hafiz Abdul Aziz to Aleesha Farhana was rejected by Kuala Terengganu High Court. I feel proud of Aleesha for being a trailblazer in paving the way for many transgendered citizens in Malaysia to come forward to make a difference in fighting for their claim of identity ownership. Her untimely death saddens many , but her legacy in fighting for one's right to gain freedom from a biased regime will help others who suffer the same plight.
Who wants to be born different from heterosexuals ? Aleesha didn't choose to be a woman by choice. I learned that going through such sex change operation is the most excruciating ordeal. Who wants to have their private parts chopped off for nothing???? I have also learned from my transgendered friends that consuming hormonal pills to be a woman hurts physical but that gives them a sense of true identity.
In writing this entry, I hope that many of us heterosexuals will view transgendered as one of us. In fact, they have far more interesting life journeys than many heterosexuals having gone through rough patches being marginalised by society and religious fundamentalists. To me, she was a beauty :) And what she has done to her transgendered community is inspiring and beautiful.
