A line needs to be drawn when it comes to having members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community in the security forces, said Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

However, he did not clearly state if non-cisgender individuals would not be allowed to join security agencies.

"I think, whether or not they can join as security officers, there needs to be a line.

"A line for us to state that there is something better, so use what is better," Zahid said.

He added that Malaysia rejected LGBT as it did not suit the country's social or religious aspects.

"Why do we want to look for negative things, allegedly in the name of freedom of expression and human rights," Zahid said.

He was responding to a question at a National Transformation 2050 (TN2050) dialogue in Serdang, on whether the LGBT can join security forces.

Asked to clarify this at a press conference later, Zahid said he would leave it to the various agencies to decide their recruitment criteria.

Earlier during the TN50 dialogue, Zahid also expressed disdain for human rights defenders.

"When police officers are killed by criminals they say the police were killed.

"But when police shoot a criminal, they say the police are cruel. The human rights defenders oppose the police," he said.