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Matty Healy, the frontman of the British band The 1975, has found himself at the center of a controversy this week that has sparked a global conversation about LGBTQ+ rights and the role of international artists in advocating for social change.
The Incident: Healy's Stand and the Malaysian Response
During a performance at the Good Vibes festival in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Healy made a quite clear statement against the country's stance on LGBTQ+ rights, kissing a male bandmate up on stage, saying “I don't see the fucking point of inviting The 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with.” He then went on, “Unfortunately you don't get a set of loads of uplifting songs because I'm fucking furious. And that's not fair on you, because you're not representative of your government. Because you're young people, and I'm sure a lot of you are gay and progressive and cool.” The comments led to the event being cut short and the band was officially banned from the country the following day.
The Backlash: Local Activists and the International Community React
Critics argue that Healy's actions could provoke a harsher clampdown from the government and have disrupted the work of local activists. “If anything, what Matt Healy and The 1975 have done, is discount and disrupted YEARS of work by local activists who have been pushing for change and understanding AND endangering our vulnerable minority communities,” wrote Joe Lee, a Malaysian music industry professional, in a response to the incident.
Matty Healy is not a ‘white saviour' for showing solidarity with Malaysia's LGBTQ+ people | Peter Tatchell https://t.co/3DVZBy0JfF
— The Guardian (@guardian) July 25, 2023
charli xcx and george daniel fucking for life https://t.co/NALvhOlc0J
— Charli (@charli_xcx) July 25, 2023
Praise Amidst Controversy: Peter Tatchell's Defense of Healy
Many others have praised Healy. Notably, activist Peter Tatchell defended Healy in his column for The Guardian, “I seriously doubt it was Healy's motivation or intention to ‘save' Malaysia from homophobia or hijack the LGBTQ+ struggle there. As far as I can see, he simply wanted to show solidarity with Malaysia's persecuted queer community,” specifically disagreeing with the accusation of “accusations of “White Saviour Syndrome.”
However, activist Peter Tatchell defended Healy, stating, “Whatever you think about Healy's actions, he succeeded in drawing global attention to Malaysia's persecution of its queer citizens – more so than any other action by anyone else,” in his Guardian column.
Tatchell went on, “Whatever you think about Healy's actions, he succeeded in drawing global attention to Malaysia's persecution of its queer citizens. Hundreds of millions of people are now aware that Malaysia penalises LGBTQ+ people with up to 20 years jail, plus caning and fines – under a colonial-era law originally imposed by Britain in 1871.”
Healy responded soon after commenting on social media and was immediately inundated iwth preddominantly supportive responses.
Sources:
Dazed Digital Metro
