The British singer of 1975, Matty Healy, has found himself engulfed in controversy after kissing his bandmate Ross MacDonald on stage during their Malaysia concert on Friday in support of LGBTQ rights. In his speech, he criticized the country for its anti-LGBTQ laws.
While some are appreciating his stance, the Malaysian LGBT community has slammed him for this act, as it could potentially lead them into more trouble.
One user wrote, “They did more harm to queer people there by doing that, and you are WHITE, stop speaking on behalf of POC. He’s gonna return to his mansion in London while queer people in Malaysia are gonna deal with all the insults and homophobia once this reaches the public. SHUT THE F*CK UP.”
Another user stated, “It’s fair criticism, but its expression shamefully elides context. It’s Day 1 of a 3-day festival in a country fighting to keep its live music scene alive. Also, public acts like this, when local queer communities aren’t consulted, put people in the spotlight at risk of violence.”
The third user expressed, “How can it be iconic when, from here on out, the Malaysian LGBT community’s rights, voice, and freedom are compromised? His drunken ‘iconic’ act didn’t do it for us. He ruined our decade-long fight to be accepted, and our government will now use us as scapegoats thanks to this.”
As per Malaysian law, homosexuality is illegal and is punishable up to 20 years in jail. Soon after Matt’s act, his remaining shows were cancelled. The 1975 was supposed to play in Indonesia and Taiwan next but have since cancelled those shows.