Review of Malaysian musical reveals shocking anti-LGBT propaganda

ARCHIVES 2013

By admin-s On Mar 13, 2013

(Gay Star News) – Asmara Songsang (Abnormal Desire) is ‘as narrow-minded and bigoted a view as one could get’

A review of an anti-LGBT propaganda musical shown in Kuala Lumpur earlier this month has revealed the shockingly stereotyped and homophobic aspects of a piece of Malaysian government-funded theatre.

Last month Gay Star News reported that a musical called Asmara Songsang (Abnormal Desire) would be staged at the national theatre in Kuala Lumpurand then tour the country, with tickets available for free.

The show was at Kuala Lumpur’s Palace of Culture (Istana Budaya) from 28 February to 2 March. Blogger Alia Ali saw the show and wrote a detailed review.

The plot centers on three friends who lead a gang of ‘queer delinquents’, wrote Ali. The gang arouse the wrath of local religious leaders for loud parties featuring drug abuse and casual sex. At the end, the gang is all struck by lightening, apart from the three friends who see the error of their ways.

If that all wasn’t ridiculous enough, the play ends with a spontaneous display of patriotism.

‘After a brief lecture on the hideous wrongs of not being heterosexual, everybody joins them on stage with Malaysian flags, singing a rousing rendition of a song dedicated to 1Malaysia,’ surmises Ali, who said the audience were mostly teenagers.

‘The part that gets to me the most is that according to the playwright, all non-heterosexuals seem to belong to a club,’ wrote Ali.