Stop the hatred towards LGBT communities
On April 21, the Jaringan Melayu Malaysia will spearhead a protest at Dataran Merdeka to condemn what they described as “unacceptabsle” sexual practices.
Jeswan Kaur, Free Malaysia Today
Why is it so difficult for people to accept the marginalised communities for who and what they are? Why must individuals be penalised for their sexual orientation, for being truthful to themselves?
And whose business is it to keep inventory of what two consenting adults do? Being nosey is bad enough but to spread lies as the Jaringan Melayu Malaysia (JMM) is now doing is utterly regrettable.
JMM or the Coalition of Malaysian Malays is going all out to “wipe out” the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual communities under the claim that the LGBT communities are all about free sex; so much so the Seksualiti Merdeka festival became a spacegoat and its organisers humiliated and lambasted for organising a free sex event.
The police last year declared a ban on Seksualiti Merdeka, an annual festival celebrating the human rights of people of diverse sexual orientation and gender identity that has been held since 2008.
The fact will always remain that Seksualiti Merdeka has never propagated “free sex”. And yet the extremist mindsets of JMM decided to take it upon themselves to “punish” the country’s LGBT group.
Among others, the coalition has decided to venture into schools to continue its LGBT-bashing. It was reported in an online blog and a Malay daily that JMM was conducting an anti-LGBT campaign in about 30 schools.
However, deputy Education Minister Wee Kia Siong quickly distanced the ministry from the controversial LGBT-bashing campaign saying it was not the ministry’s stance to promote such negative perceptions against any segment of society and that such activities must be monitored and stopped.
Wee added: “I have received the report from the school. Actually, it was one of the PIBG programmes. In light of what has happened, we want all the schools as well as the state education departments to monitor and stop such activities from now on.
“It is all right to inculcate good values. We are not questioning their intentions but we want them to be more careful especially on this topic.
“When you say anti-LGBT or anti-anything, it can be perceived in a negative manner. With this sort of taglines, you have to be careful. I believe it is better to educate and teach instead of just going with ‘anti’ taglines.”
Still, JMM remains relentless in going all out to persecute the LGBT communities. On April 21, the coalition will spearhead a protest at Dataran Merdeka to condemn what they described as “unacceptable” sexual practices.
On March 21, Barisan Nasional MP for Sekijang, Baharum Mohamad, told Parliament that three out of every 10 men in Malaysia is gay and described the figure as “scary” before calling on the government to establish a gay rehab center to ‘combat’ homosexuality. Since then, the LGBT communities have been on the receiving end from various quarters.
Even Deputy Prime Minister-cum-Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin joined in the fray by saying that the LGBT communities require counselling to “prevent the spread of this negative culture, which was previously prevalent only in Western countries.”
Does JMM having Muhyiddin’s backing?
It is an irony that while non-governmental organisations like the Malaysian AIDS Council is barred from talking about condom use to students during its safe sex talks in schools, JMM has taken the liberty of attacking the fundamental rights of an individual, in this case the right to choose one’s sexual orientation, that too to students who have to grasp this issue maturedly.
Has JMM the backing of the Education Minister in this case? After all, it was Muhyiddin who had rubbished the Seksualiti Merdeka as an “immoral” and “waste of time” event.
The JMM’s anti-LGBT campaign prompted Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) commissioner Muhammad Sha’ani Abdullah to seek the government’s intervention.
“If it is true that they have begun an anti-LGBT campaign in secondary schools, the government and (Education) Ministry is duty bound to promote respect to these minority groups.”
“They (JMM) can have their opinions but campaigning against certain groups of people is wrong as it may result in violence against them,” Muhammad Sha’ani was quoted by The Malay Mail as saying.
Sodomy is illegal in Malaysia and the country has already caused anger after it sent “effeminate” boys to a “gay cure” camp in early 2011.
In 2010, the Malaysian Film Producers’ Association announced that gays could be depicted in films so long as they turned straight by the end of the feature.
The country’s first gay-themed film, “Dalam Botol”or “In A Bottle” tasted comparative success when it made just over one million ringgit in five days. The film tells of a man who undergoes gender reassignment to the detriment of his relationship with his male partner.
