Malaysia’s government cancels festival after The 1975’s Matty Healy kisses a bandmate

The Malaysian government has canceled the annual Good Vibes Festival and banned the band The 1975 after lead singer Matty Healy kissed male bandmate Ross MacDonald during a performance.

Performance and consequences: During the festival, Healy kissed his bandmate, following a speech criticizing Malaysia’s anti-LGBTQ laws.
* This act led the government to cancel the ongoing festival and ban The 1975 from performing in Malaysia in the future, citing “rude” actions.
* Fahmi Fadzil, Malaysia’s communications minister, expressed his disapproval on Twitter, reminding that while they support freedom of expression and creativity, respect for local culture and manners is expected.

Background and history: Homosexuality is illegal in the Muslim-majority nation of Malaysia.
* This is not the first time Healy has defied local anti-LGBTQ laws: in 2019, he kissed a male audience member at a concert in Dubai.
* The Good Vibes Festival’s website includes a statement saying that Malaysia’s Ministry of Communications opposes “any parties that challenge, ridicule or contravene Malaysian laws.”

Next steps: The band is scheduled to perform next in Indonesia, another Muslim-majority country.
* Their team has not yet responded to a request for comment by NPR.

Healy’s perspective: The singer had shared during the performance that he saw his agreement to perform in Malaysia as a “mistake.”
* Healy said, “I don’t see the point of inviting The 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with.”

View original article on NPR

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