Kay: I have faced many problems as a result of being a transgender woman. I have found it very difficult to get jobs since I started to wear trans clothing because people have very negative perceptions. I once applied for a job in a factory in Sunway City which is not far from Kuala Lumpur. I attended an inter- view for a job as an Operator, but they never called me back and I am sure it was because of who I was. I know this because of the way they looked at me during the interview. I have also found it very difficult to find places to rent. When I first arrived in Seremban, I was urgently looking for a house. I picked up a flier advertising accommodation for rent. I contacted the person, but when we met up, he told me that he could not rent the place to me because he had decided to sell the house instead. I know that this was not true, as two months later I found out that someone else was renting the place. This same experience has happened to me many times. Eventually I was able to find someone who did understand me. She is happy for me to rent her property as long as I pay the rent on time. I also experienced problems in the hospital in Seremban. I was there recently, and although I am a trans-woman, I was put into a male ward. I was unconscious for five days after a car accident in which I hurt my head very badly. When I woke up, I was surrounded by men, and I freaked out. Eventually, the doctor agreed to put me in a different room so so that I had a room to myself, but I should have been there from the beginning of my stay. I also found that many of the hospital workers shouted “pondan” at me, which is a very disrespectful name used interchangeably for homosexuals and transgender people. Women like me regularly face trouble from other people in the community. I often meet people who are not happy with the way that I live, and they choose to pick a fight with me. I have been in fist fights with people who try to cause trouble for me. Often it is women who are the worst in this respect.