In May Day rally, Utusan Malaysia sees a future of gay parades

(The Malay Mail) – Claiming of an increase in the number of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTs) participants taking part in public rallies, Utusan Malaysia warned today that if left unchecked, this would result in common scenes of nude parades in Malaysia’s capital and same-sex individuals sharing kisses before the historic Dataran Merdeka.

The Umno-owned daily cited the example of the number of LGBTs who allegedly participated in the anti-GST May Day protest earlier this week, and said many more from the marginalised group are coming out to join these events.

“LGBT activists are certainly intensifying efforts demanding for many things, including the rights to march, as it is done in many western countries,” Awang Selamat wrote in Mingguan Malaysia, the paper’s weekend edition.

Awang, a pseudonym used to represent the collective voice of the paper’s editors, added that members of the LGBT community are now becoming “bolder”.

“Imagine nude parades and individuals of the same-sex kissing in front of Dataran Merdeka,” it added in its brief analysis.

Last month, Washington-based research group’s Global Views, in its Morality survey, listed Malaysia to be among the ten countries most opposed to contraceptives, alcohol, extramarital affairs, homosexuality and abortion.

Of the 822 respondents surveyed in Peninsular Malaysia, 88 per cent staunchly opposed homosexuality seeing it as morally unacceptable.

Homosexuality is heavily stigmatised in Malaysia, with Section 377A and 377B of the Penal Code criminalising anal and oral sex.

The annual May Day rally against the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was largely peaceful with no untoward incidents reported.

However, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar had said the police are investigating the organisers for violating several conditions of the Peaceful Assembly Act (PAA) 2012.

This comes after Dang Wang police chief ACP Zainuddin Ahmad stated that the protest was “under control” and no investigation papers were opened.