Gender confusion is an illness that can be cured, says National Council of Professors (NCP) Medical and Health Sciences Cluster head Mohd Amin Jalaludin.

Certain characteristics can be seen in those who suffer from such “illnesses”, Mohd Amin is quoted as saying in Maly daily Sinar Harian today.

“Medically, they (transgender people) are born as males but their instincts and emotions are like that of females.”

Mohd Amin ( right ), who is Universiti Malaya (UM) vice-chancellor, said transgender people are influenced by many factors, which include the environment as well as the way they were brought up and taught by their families,

“When they are young, they are prone to play with toys for girls as well as with girls, rather than with boys.

“And when they become adults, they are more inclined to choose partners of the same sex,” he said.

However, Mohd Amin said, emotional support must be given to them in efforts to bring them back to the “right path”.

“We should educate them from young. The religious approach should be used to identify their problems.

“Parents also play an important role. If the illness is detected from the beginning, it is easier to be cured,” he said.

Last week, the Court of Appeal allowed the appeal by three make-up artistes, Muhamad Juzaili Mohamad Khamis, 26; Syukor Jani, 28; and Wan Fairol Wan Ismail, 30; to declare Section 66 of the Negri Sembilan Syariah enactment to be unconstitutional.

The ruling, which recognises the rights of transgender people, was criticised by many quarters, with some saying that the transgenders were challenging God’s law and are only a “cancer” to society.

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