• 2025-08-10 08:00 AM

PETALING JAYA: No research has been conducted on LGBT individuals who marry, said Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri.

“Despite that, there are laws in the country that do not allow same-sex relationships, such as the Penal Code and the State Syariah Criminal Enactment,” she said in a written parliamentary reply to Shaharizukirnain Abd Kadir (PN–Setiu).

Shaharizukirnain had asked how much research had been done on LGBT individuals who marry partners and what initiatives the government was taking to address the matter.

LGBT – an acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender – is an umbrella term referring to people whose sexual orientations or gender identities differ from the heterosexual and cisgender norm.

In Malaysia, same-sex sexual acts and gender nonconformity are criminalised under both federal and state syariah laws.

Section 377A of the Penal Code, which applies to all residents, prohibits “carnal intercourse against the order of nature”, interpreted as same-sex sexual conduct.

The offence is punishable by imprisonment of up to 20 years and caning. rough initiatives to attract more students, positioning it as key to producing a skilled and competitive workforce.