Malaysia halts music festival after same-gender kiss between bandmates onstage
PTC News Desk: Malaysian authorities halted a music festival on Saturday after the frontman of a British indie rock band kissed his male bandmate following a diatribe against the country's anti-LGBTQ laws.
Homosexuality is banned in Malaysia, and laws that criminalize sodomy are punishable by imprisonment. LGBTQ individuals in the country endure daily discrimination from authorities.
British rock band 'The 1975' cut their Good Vibes music festival performance short on Friday after lead singer Matty Healy took on Malaysia's anti-gay legislation in a profanity-filled tirade before kissing bassist Ross MacDonald on stage.
Healy told fans that the band mulled cancelling the performance, adding, "I do not see the point of inviting 'The 1975' to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with."
He abruptly ended the set afterwards, saying, "All right, we gotta go. We just got banned from Kuala Lumpur."
Healy's on-stage protest was not his first. In 2019, he kissed a male fan at a concert in the United Arab Emirates, which has strict anti-LGBTQ laws.
Malaysian Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil vowed prompt action in response to the kiss, calling it a "very rude act" in a news story posted early Saturday.
After meeting with the organizers, he later ordered the "immediate cancellation" of the three-day festival.
"Never touch the sensitivities of the community, especially those that are against the manners and values of the local culture," he added in a later tweet.
The event confirmed the cancellation in a statement also posted on Twitter, saying it was at the direction of the communications ministry "following the controversial conduct and remarks made by UK artist Matty Healy."
"The Ministry emphasizes its unwavering stance against any parties that challenge, ridicule or violate Malaysian laws," according to the statement.
The Good Vibes festival was set to run all weekend, with US band The Strokes headlining on Sunday.
Authorities seized over a hundred rainbow-coloured, Pride-themed watches from Swiss watchmaker Swatch two months ago.
Since then, a company has filed a lawsuit against the government, seeking monetary damages as well as the return of the watches.
Also Read: Uttarakhand rains: Yamunotri, Badrinath NH blocked; tourists stranded
- With inputs from agencies
