‘1975’ Frontman Matty Healy Kisses Bandmate to Protest Malaysian Anti-LGBTQ+ Laws – Malaysian Queer Community Furious With Him

Malaysia is known for having strict anti-LGBTQ+ laws, and '1975' frontman Matt Healy has something to say about that! At the Good Vibes music festival in Malaysia, Healy spoke out against the government's anti-Queer laws. "I don't see the fucking point, right... I do not see the point of inviting the 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with." he said. "I'll take your money, you can ban me, but I've done this before and it doesn't feel good," he added. And then Healy kissed bandmate Ross MacDonald. A few short moments later, the band's performance was canceled and Healy said 1975 was banned from the Kuala Lumpur. And then came the fallout...

Though at first it seemed like Healy was doing good work in his show of allyship, Malaysia's LGBTQ+ community has spoken out about their outrage at the band, calling Healy's actions a "white savior complex." Even worse than that, many took to social media to lament how much harder this was about to make things for them in their country. "Matt Healy, you're an idiot. Do you have any idea of repercussions… do you have any idea how hard it is for queer people to just exist now," one person commented on a video of the moment. "I hate this white savior complex of people coming to regions like Southeast Asia - with no prior research whatsoever to what the culture is, or the repercussions of doing acts like this - and ruining it not for them but for the people who actually live here."

via GIPHY

Dhia Rezki, a Malaysian activist, said this could lead to conservative groups in the country using this moment as fuel for their push towards even further right than it already is. "They'll use it to target anything done by LGBT people, be it holding hands, kissing, or even posting about relationships online," Rezki said.

The 1975 has been banned from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia after Matty Healy and bandmate Ross MacDonald kissed on-stage during their set at Good Vibes Festival.

Before the kiss, Healy gave a speech on his disappointment in the country’s discrimination against the LGBTQIA+ community. pic.twitter.com/XcHuPHiYr5

— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) July 21, 2023

These fears are not unfounded, as is evidenced by what happened following the British band's homoerotic protest. Not only was 1975's performance canceled, but the following day Malaysian authorities announced that the entire music festival was canceled. And while 1975 flew out of the country shortly after, the people still in the country had to deal with the fallout. And given that Malaysia is ranked as the second worst place for transgender people in the world, the repercussions for Queer people are weighing heavy.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Good Vibes Festival (@goodvibesfest)

As reported by the Human Rights Watch, the Malaysian government actively runs conversion therapy camps. Former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin even once described LGBTQ+ people as "a threat to Islam" backed by foreign influences, and the Queer people were mentally ill and needed "counseling."

"Rights related to sexual orientation such as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT), which is not acceptable by the majority of Muslims, has been promoted by certain interest groups in Malaysia. As a Muslim country, Malaysia does not recognize LGBT rights," Yassin said.

No one doubts that Healy's heart was in the right place, but without putting the proper thought into the larger picture at hand, his actions have now led to a ripple effect of consequences for people that will be directly impacted by him.

Fleshbot: Plug In Get Off.
Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected]
Follow us on Twitter and Instagram.