Malaysia Halts Music Festival After The 1975 Matty Healy Same-Sex Kiss

News Singer

2023-07-24
14:21

A music festival in Malaysia has been shut down after the lead singer of the British band The 1975 Matty Healy openly criticized the country’s anti-LGBTQ laws and kissed a male bandmate on stage.

The incident at the Good Vibes Festival in Kuala Lumpur on June 21, Friday, prompted the country’s Ministry of Communications to cancel the rest of the three-day event where Healy slammed Malaysia’s stance on LGBTQ+ rights and told the crowd that playing there had been a “mistake”.

Official statement from @goodvibesfest pic.twitter.com/XqsWegteWt

— Good Vibes Festival (@GoodVibesFest) July 22, 2023

“I do not see the point of inviting The 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with,” Healy said before kissing bandmate and bassist, Ross MacDonald.

Thirty minutes into their set, Healy announced that their performance had been cut, claiming they had just gotten banned from Kuala Lumpur.

Homosexuality is illegal in Malaysia and is punishable by fines and up to 20 years in prison.

The next day after the frontman’s shenanigan and expletive-laden speech on their show, Good Vibes Festival announced that the three-day festival has been canceled.

In a statement released to Reuters, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said Malaysia was committed to supporting the development of creative industries and freedom of expression.

“However, never touch on the sensitivities of the community, especially those that are against the traditions and values of the local culture,” he told Reuters.

In response to the cancellation of the event, Healy posted an Instagram story where he said, “Well, why don’t you try and not make out with Ross for 20 years? Not as easy as it looks.”

In 2019, Healy was previously criticized for kissing a male fan at a concert in the United Arab Emirates, which also has anti-LGBT laws. Healy later said he regretted the decision and “he felt pretty irresponsible.”

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