BUKU MAKNYAH

QUESTIONAIRES

Dari waktu ke waktu, ramai pelajar pelajar dari Universiti, Pusat Pengajian tinggi akan meminta bantuan saya untu ditemu ramah. Tujuan tujuan selalunya untuk tesis, kerja kursus atau perbincangan tentang seksualiti dalam kelas mereka. Saya akan memberi kerjasama, kerana ini juga adalah kerja ADVOKASI yang penting buat mereka.

JAWAPAN UNTUK MOHD ARIF (Pelajar Universiti Putera Malaysia) untuk kerja kertas yang melibatkan LGBT dan kerjaya. 6/03/2016

PERSONAL BACKGROUND

Regina Ibrahim 52 years old transwoman. I have no clue of what I wanted to be when I was younger. All I know I want to sing on stage in front of huge audience wearing beautiful outfit as a woman. Obviously I was very much into music.

CAREER DEVELOPMENT

I wasn't bad when it comes to academic. I graduated during the economic downturn. Enroll myself into Teacher's College after my Diploma in Business Studies. I am a qualified govt teacher. Very committed. I was in Kelantan for 3 years and in Brunei to earn more money as a teacher (since Malaysia pays lower wage). When I finished supporting my siblings, I decided to be myself. (still thinking about music and show business). I tried Europe and it doesn't suit me. Got back to Malaysia and already dressing up as a female 24/7. Very difficult to find ordinary job. Thank god I got a good voice and stage persona. I started stage work around the early 90's. Drag shows, singing, cracking jokes and emcee for corporate events. Yes, I crafted my name on stage in Penang, KL and certain areas in Malaysia. Slowly I let go of doing Transgender show, in order to be more professional. I emcee for events and only sings 45 minutes actively since 2012.

I considered myself a HOLISTIC ARTISTE. Since I am my own employer I started getting into arts seriously, Paintings and Writing. 3 solo art exhibition shows in Penang and 3 books under my belt.

CHALLENGES OF CAREER DEVELOPMENT/HOW DO YOU COPE?

As a TRANSWOMAN it will be double harder. I was a little frustrated at first, and slowly deal with it. Cisgenders are not happy with my development as corporate emcee and other areas. They might praise you upon seeing your work and performances BUT it's really something they cannot digest.

Some are skeptical to put you into their agenda, no matter how open and modern they claimed themselves to be. They will give you excuses, normally it will be claimed that they are okay with your type BUT the committee members or the society as whole are not ready. Lame excuses: I assumed these type of human are just NOT INTRESTED and silently have something against you. Maybe religiously, maybe you and them are just a level of TOLERANCE not ACCPETANCE even just for work. Not adventurous at all. Somehow there are so many good and considerate CISGENDERS out there.

I am a MUSLIM I trusted REZEKI and ALLAH. I take all of these obstacles as challenges while living. I do cry at certain junctures of my life during some early periods of my life as a working Transwoman. Rejections and cancellations (which is not properly done because I am just a pondan)

Slowly I find and learn ways of blending with them, cisgenders.

Rezeki? Opportunities? Chances? Whatever is mine will always be mine no matter how hard they tried to stop me.

The only way to cope is by giving and becoming the best in whatever field you are doing. Certain barriers cannot be helped. News reading, teaching as transwoman or anything to do with the government. Be peaceful with it.

I still get involve with private companies, open air functions by non govt companies. Alhamdulillah, I survived.

CAREER? What it means to me...