New Delhi: The British musician Matty Healy grabbed headlines on Friday when, after an expletive-filled rant slamming Malaysia's anti-LGBTQ laws, he kissed his bandmate Ross MacDonald on stage during their performance. According to reports, the artist spoke out in objection to the nation's regulations, which threaten those who identify as LGBTQ+ with up to 20 years in prison. On stage, he denounced the governing body and admitted that he was "furious" about a booking blunder he had made.
Now, the community has expressed displeasure and outrage over the 1975's concert, which acted as the festival's headliner and was held in Kuala Lumpur. Healy's action, in the eyes of many LGBTQ Malaysians, possibly made things worse for the community that is already marginalised and facing discrimination.
The English pop rock band, could be sued after the cancellation of Malaysia's Good Vibes festival because of lead singer Matty Healy's kiss row. According to Mirror.co.uk, lawyers have offered to work for free for anyone who has been harmed. The four musicians are named in the class action lawsuit that the Malaysian attorneys are writing against the band. It reportedly claims to be seeking compensation for losses brought on by the group's alleged "negligence" for local artists and vendors.
The 1975 cancelled their shows in Jakarta and Taipei amid the controversy, and Matty made fun of the situation by saying that he generally finds it difficult to resist kissing bassist Ross MacDonald. One of Asia's most accepting countries for individuals who identify as LGBTQ is Taiwan. However, The 1975's concert in Taiwan, scheduled for Tuesday, has also been cancelled for a reason that is unknown.
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