Institutional (dis)trust among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) people in Malaysia

In Malaysia, pervasive institutional discrimination harms lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) people and complicates how they may build and sustain trust with different public institutions. Employing a mixed-methods approach, this study examined the prevalence of institutional (dis)trust among a sample (n = 647) of LGBTQ+ adults in Malaysia, and the factors that influenced their institutional (dis)trust. Using descriptive analyses and generalised linear regression to explore demographic differences in the prevalence of institutional (dis)trust across police, political, law, and media institutions, we found that cisgender women, trans men, and non-binary participants (compared to cisgender men), as well as Malay and Indian participants (compared to Chinese), reported higher distrust towards different public institutions. Participants’ open-ended responses (n = 228) were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis to identify three interrelated themes that described the factors influencing LGBTQ+ people’s institutional (dis)trust: 1) being the target of scapegoating, 2) fear of dehumanisation, and 3) waning hope for the future. The findings highlight the need to strategically address institutional discrimination towards LGBTQ+ people in Malaysia, as a means for bolstering their institutional trust and improving their long-term health and well-being.