A few months ago, my friend Yixing and I found an old magazine called “Sayang” in my old family home. It caught my attention because this was a Malaysian women’s magazine from 1989, and I wondered what the content would be like.
I got distracted pretty soon. In the “Artikel” section of the content page, one title caught my eye: Mungkinkah Anda Juga Lesbian? Well, hello.
This wasn’t an article that said if you didn’t fit some criteria you were probably a lesbian (a possibility inferred from the title). Here are some excerpts on what was available (full PDF download available at the end of the post):
Jangan terkejut, lesbian bukan sahaja terjadi kepada pekerja kelas bawahan, tidak terkecuali juga mereka yang berkedudukan tinggi serta memegang jawatan tinggi dalam pelbagai jawatan sama ada di sektor kerajaan mahupun swasta.
…
Pada dasarnya, lesbian mempunyai kehidupan yang berbeza dari sistem heteroseksualnya. Perbezaan nyata, lesbian banyak menghabiskan masa kehidupannya dalam emosi, perhubungan seksual atau seks dengan wanita lain.
…
Tidak hairanlah kalau kesemua lesbian yang ditemui takut untuk mendedahkan diri mereka kerana takut kehilangang kerja, hilang kepercayaan dari keluarga atau teman-teman yang tidak tahu tentang keinginan seks mereka dengan kaum sejenis.
…
Along with that came some case studies of three different lesbian couples, how their relationship worked and how they handled society.
Consider that this was almost two decades ago. Yixing and I were flipping through the article, observing that some statements inside debunk certain myths that still exist today about lesbians - which is not to say there aren’t any stereotypes in this article, but comparatively, I find the approach here far more progressive than the impression I have of the media now. Why does it seem like we’ve regressed?
I was 6 years old at the time this article was written. My idea of a relationship at that age was such: My mum’s friend would bring her young son over to our house for playtime. He would arrive and sit obediently at the gate out of fear, knowing that if he stepped foot inside I would chase him out - by literally beating him up……….. with a broomstick.
I have a photo in my family album somewhere of a young boy sitting outside my house, waiting for his mother (my mum assures me the boy grew up unscarred by our encounters). I’ve probably heard most of the jokes available about man-bashing and girls with broomsticks.
It was many years later that I discovered boys could be more interesting than my video games, science kits and book collection (Terry Pratchett was the man of my life for a very long time), and even more years to learn that about girls.
Still, I digress.
I have created a PDF file of the 3 pages for those who will like to read the entire article.
Download link: Mungkinkah Anda Juga Lesbian? (PDF, 4.21MB).
I am reluctant to translate, since I have a poor command over the language, but if a kind reader / Tilted World contributor will be so kind…..? (hopeful look). Admittedly, given language restrictions I may have also missed some parts of the article.
Magazine: Sayang
Date: Disember 1989
Published by: ‘D’ Enterprise
Author: Not listed, but “wartawan” listed for overall magazine are Linda Hussein and Sharah Ibrahim.
Pages: 78-79, 108.
Editor: Tun Hassan.
Peace.
PS: I’m much nicer to boys now, really. And I mostly only travel by taxis, planes, and trains.
PPS: This is my first Tilted World post, so hello to all new readers - I was found based on some drunkard comments I left elsewhere on the internet and invited to blog here instead. Name’s Lainie and I usually blog @ Lainie: Artword Addict (sometimes drunk). Hi!
