Bangkok – In Malaysia, transgender women have filed a court case challenging a law that keeps them from expressing their gender identity, according to a newly published report by Human Rights Watch.

Three transgender women from Negeri Sembilan are asking the court to strike down a law that prohibits “any male person who, in any public place wears a woman’s attire or poses as a woman.” The law, which has been used to arrest a number of transgender women, will be discussed at the Putrajaya Court of Appeal on May 22.

“Under discriminatory state laws, transgender women in Malaysia face a daily risk of arrest just for being themselves,” said Neela Ghosal, a senior researcher on LGBT rights for Human Rights Watch. “The government shouldn’t be harassing and punishing transgender people just for peacefully going about their lives.”

If denied, the applicants could take the case to a federal court, which is the country’s highest appeals court.