Malaysian transwoman Rania Zara Medina has been officially appointed by the Ministry of Health Malaysia (KKM) as a committee member who will be representing the transgender community in the Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) in Malaysia.
According to the Global Fund, Country Coordinating Mechanisms are national committees in each country that submit funding applications to the Global Fund on behalf of the entire country. They include representatives from government, the private sector, technical partners, civil society and communities living with the diseases.
Rania who is also the winner of IKON TW 2017 shared the news on her social media along with an official letter from KKM which is signed by Deputy Minister of Health of Malaysia, Dr. Lee Boon Chye.
“I would like to thank the whole (transgender) community and my supporters who has been supporting me since the beginning of the nomination to today’s appointment. Without your trust, I wouldn’t be able to take on this responsibility. I will do my best for all of US,” she wrote.
Several conservative groups in Malaysia soon caught wind of the news and started to make a lot of noises on social media. Many of them are unable to accept the fact that a transgender is given a position in a government body.
Most of the commenters blamed the new government and uses Islam to justify their argument.
Rania Zara Medina is an activist and advocator who has been actively participating in positive and open conversations on HIV. Many people from the trans community fully support her appointment in CCM including Malaysian transgender activist Nisha Ayub.
