The UK band banned in Malaysia because of the kiss
UK band ‘The 1975’ has been banned by the Malaysian government for kissing a male band member during a concert and criticizing anti-LGBT laws. News from Reuters and The Star
Singer Matt Healy kissed bassist Ross MacDonald during a performance at Kuala Lumpur’s Good Vibe Festival last Friday night, while also criticizing Malaysia’s LGBT laws. After the video of the incident spread on social media, the Malaysian government has banned the band today in the face of criticism.
The three-day concert was scheduled to end tomorrow, Sunday. Before that, the concert has been canceled today. Malaysia’s anti-LGBT laws criminalize same-sex kissing in public. Malaysia has today blacklisted the band for violating the law. ‘The 1975’ will not be able to participate in any kind of performance in the country in future.
Malaysian Communications Minister Fahmy Fadzil writes in a tweet, “No one will be exempted from breaking the laws of Malaysia.” Future Sound Asia, the organizer of the concert, has apologized for the incident. Last March, the guidelines for concerts by foreign artists became more stringent.
No one from the band was available for comment on the matter. Earlier in 2019, Haley broke the law by kissing a male band member at a concert in the United Arab Emirates.
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