Participants were met with applause, but also taunts when they stepped on the catwalk during a Miss Transvestite Aceh pageant on Saturday evening.

The pageant, held at the Radio Republik Indonesia building and organized by transgender rights organization Putro Sejati Aceh, was aimed at selecting a representative for the national contest as well as campaigning on transgender issues.

”Transvestites are marginalized. We demand equal rights,” Sherly, who chairs Putro Sejati Aceh, told The Jakarta Post.

She said people in Aceh despised them and discriminated against them for their gender identity.

This was a burden on transvestites who subsequently lost confidence in expressing themselves, especially in education, she added. “Many people are antagonistic and call us ’sissies’. We are afraid to go to school or university to study,” Sherly said.

The implementation of Islam sharia law in Aceh, she said, placed them in a difficult position.

An event to select the Acehnese Social Envoy 2010, the pageant featured 40 participants wearing the traditional costumes of their respective regencies. Zifana Letisia from north Aceh won the contest.

“The winner will be sent to the national event,” Timmy, head of the organizing committee, said.

”We hope the event raises awareness among Acehnese about transvestites,” she said.

Timmy said organizers obtained consent from sharia officials to run the event.

“I believe the event was successful because of public support. The fact that it ran without incident is testament to that support.”

Rini, a member of the judging panel, hailed the event as a positive retort to those angered by transvestites.

”This is an opportunity [for transvestites] to show their creativity and prove they have equal rights,” she said, adding that many Acehnese saw transgenderism as sinful.

“Sin is a personal affair with God. We can’t judge someone a sinner because they are a transvestite,” she said.

However, the road ahead for transvestites is rocky as Ulemas criticized the contest.

“We condemn the pageant. It has tainted sharia in Aceh,” Tengku Faisal Ali, the secretary-general of Aceh Ulema Association (HUDA), was quoted as saying Sunday by Antara news agency.

Criticism also came from provincial leaders, with legislator Darmuda saying, “We can’t tolerate transvestite pageants. This violates the values of the majority of Acehnese who are Muslims.”

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