Global Courant
Malaysia banned the British band after the singer kissed a bandmate on stage and criticized the country’s LGBTQ laws.
British band The 1975 canceled shows in Muslim-majority Taiwan and Indonesia a day after Malaysia banned them from performing there over a same-sex kiss on stage.
In a statement on Sunday, the indie rock group said: “Due to the current circumstances, it is impossible to continue with the scheduled shows.”
It didn’t work out.
The Malaysian government shut down the Good Vibes music festival in the capital Kuala Lumpur on Saturday and banned The 1975 after singer Matt Healy kissed the band’s bassist, Ross MacDonald, on stage the previous night.
Healy also gave a profanity-laden speech criticizing the government’s stance against homosexuality.
Homosexuality is a crime in Muslim-majority Malaysia and rights groups have warned of growing intolerance towards lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
Fahmi Fadzil, Malaysia’s Minister of Communications and Digital Affairs, called Healy’s actions “deeply rude” and said, “No compromise will be made with any party that challenges, belittles or violates Malaysian laws.”
The events also angered members of the Malaysian LGBTQ community, who said Healy’s actions could expose LGBTQ people to more stigma and discrimination.
The 1975 was scheduled to perform on Sunday in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation, where homosexuality is taboo, though not illegal, except in Aceh province where Islamic law prevails.
Other LGBTQ-related events have also been canceled in Indonesia over objections from Islamist groups, including a planned visit last December by a United States special LGBTQ envoy and the cancellation of an LGBTQ event in Southeast Asia this month.
Both came under pressure from religious conservatives.
The Indonesian government and festival organizers have yet to respond to the cancellation.
It wasn’t immediately clear why the band canceled the July 25 show in Taiwan, which has a proud reputation as a bastion of LGBTQ rights and liberalism, including allowing same-sex marriage in 2019.
The onstage protest was not a first for Healy, who kissed a male fan at a 2019 concert in the United Arab Emirates, which also has strict anti-LGBTQ laws.
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