NBC NEWS
Malaysia’s government halted a music festival in the capital Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, a day after the frontman of British pop rock band The 1975 kissed a male bandmate onstage and criticised the country’s anti-LGBTQ laws.
“There will be no compromise against any party that challenges, disparages and violates Malaysian laws,” Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said in a Twitter post after meeting the organizers of the Good Vibes Festival, a three-day event set to run until Sunday.
The 1975 have also been banned from performing in Malaysia, said a government committee that oversees filming and performances by foreigners.
Homosexuality is a crime in Muslim-majority Malaysia. Rights groups have warned of growing intolerance against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
In videos posted on social media late on Friday, Healy was seen kissing bassist Ross MacDonald after criticizing Malaysia’s stance against homosexuality in a profanity-laden speech to the festival audience.
“I made a mistake. When we were booking shows, I wasn’t looking into it,” he said. “I don’t see the fucking point … of inviting The 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with.”
Healy later cut short the set, telling the crowd: “All right, we’ve got to go. We just got banned from Kuala Lumpur, I’ll see you later.”
The band could not immediately be reached for comment. In an Instagram story, Healy appeared to joke about the incident, posting the festival’s cancellation notice along with a caption: “Ok well why don’t you try and not make out with Ross for 20 years. Not as easy as it looks”.
Healy was criticised for kissing a male fan at a 2019 concert in the United Arab Emirates, which also has laws against homosexual acts, media reported.
