A festival canceled in Malaysia after a kiss between two members of the group “The 1975”

It is a protest that says a lot about the situation of LGBTQI+ people in some Asian countries. Sunday July 23, the rock group 1975 decided to cancel a concert scheduled in Indonesia.

The cause ? The cancellation of the Good Vibes music festival in Sepang, near Kuala Lumpur in neighboring Malaysia. During their concert which took place on Friday July 21st, the singer Matt Healy and the bass player Ross MacDonald kissed on stage, which cut short their performance.

In Malaysia, homosexuality is illegal.

Earlier on stage, Matty Healy vehemently denounced Malaysia’s homophobic laws. Because homosexuality is illegal in this Southeast Asian country and can lead to prison sentences. ” I see no reason to invite The 1975 to a country and then tell us who we can have sex with »the singer said.

Following these words, the Malaysian Minister of Communications and Digital called the kiss of contention a “very rude”. Then he ordered “immediate cancellation” the rest of the Good Vibes festival, which was to last for three days.

“Never touch the sensitivities of our community, especially those that go against the ways and values ​​of the local culture”, he added on Twitter.

Cancellation of cascade concerts

In a statement also published on Twitter, the festival confirmed that the cancellation was decided by the ministry. “following British artist Matty Healy’s controversial conduct and remarks”.

This is how the British group has decided to cancel its concert in Indonesia, where, if no national law prohibits homosexuality, there are many des discriminatory local laws towards LGBTQI+ people.

1975 also announced the cancellation of its Tuesday concert in Taipei, Taiwan, notoriously less discriminating against the LGBTQI+ community, the state that legalized same-sex marriage in 2019.

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