A protest by British pop singer Matty Healy at a concert in Malaysia has sparked anger among LGBT activists and supporters in the country.

Many describe the singer’s 1975 rant against the Malaysian government and kissing a male bandmate as acts of “performative activism” that make their lives even more difficult.

Homosexuality remains a crime in Malaysia, punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Conservative Islam remains the dominant political and cultural force in the country, restricting sexuality, alcohol, and other perceived threats to traditional values ​​and standards of “public order.”

In a statement after Friday’s show, a source close to the band said Healy wanted to stand up for the LGBT community.

However, while many locals appreciated his intentions, they argue that he has caused more harm by destroying a volatile political environment for LGBT people in Malaysia.

“Unfortunately, local activists are now having to deal with the impact of this and the policies and restrictions that may result from it,” said an activist with Kuala Lumpur-based aid group JEJAKA. Dia Rezki said.

Last Friday, while indie pop band The 1975 were headlining a music festival in the capital Kuala Lumpur, Healy, who has a history of making derogatory remarks about women and minorities, launched a fierce attack on Malaysia’s anti-LGBT laws. and kissed the band members in protest. .

He had already been drinking on stage and had destroyed a concert organizer’s drone. Those in attendance reported that he spat at fans.

The 34-year-old, who strutted on stage, insulted the Malaysian government and said he was “furious” that they had made a “mistake in booking the show”.

“I can not see [expletive] “Yeah, I don’t see the point in inviting 1975 into a country and telling them who they can have sex with,” he said.

“I’ll give you money, so please ban me. But I’ve done this before, and it doesn’t feel good,” he said. He then grabbed his bandmate’s face and kissed him.

The band’s set was shut down shortly thereafter. “Okay, I’ve just been banned from Kuala Lumpur. See you soon,” he shouted to the audience.

The next day, authorities shut down the entire Good Vibes Festival, which had two days left to open and was scheduled to feature international artists such as The Kid LaRoi, The Strokes and Ty Dolla $ign. ordered. Festival attendees paid hundreds of dollars to attend, many from other parts of Southeast Asia.

Healy and his band departed a few hours later. They canceled the remaining dates of their Asian tour. They were also scheduled to perform in Indonesia and Taiwan, both of which are devout Muslims.

“I think a lot of you are gay and progressive and cool,” Healy told a crowd in Kuala Lumpur, drawing cheers from everyone.

But video from that night also shows audience silence and fan anxiety growing. TikTok shows people’s faces falling and locals grimacing.

One of the girls, wearing a pink scarf and glittery eye makeup, murmurs, “Just sing the song.” “I mean, you come here and insult our country…” she says. Exchange glances with your friend in the clip Viewed millions of times. She captioned the video, “Iykyk.”

This reflected widespread reaction across Malaysian social media over the weekend.

Comments on TikTok have been overwhelmingly critical, with many of the most popular videos infuriating LGBT Malaysian youth.

“I often see comments like, ‘Oh, Matt Healy stood up for the rights of the queer community in Malaysia,’ but no, Matt Healy, you’re an idiot. Do you have any idea about the repercussions? Is it difficult for queer people to exist now? ” one user said in another TikTok, which has been viewed more than 2 million times since Saturday.

“I come to a region like Southeast Asia without any prior research into what the culture is or the consequences of doing something like this, and I don’t do it for them, but for the people who actually live here. I hate this white savior complex of people who ruin it for the people who are.”

Young Malaysians told the BBC they felt the act reflected the West’s patronizing attitude towards Asia.

“This is very reminiscent of the whole white savior complex. How the peoples of the East are ‘uncivilized and unprogressive’ and how white people are in this country in order to save the people and make them better.” I keep repeating the story over and over again about whether I should come here. ” said Dee May Tan, an art creator based in Kuala Lumpur.

“His approach was purely culturally insensitive. It’s very self-righteous, entitled, ignorant, and kind of out of line with what he’s trying to promote.”

This criticism is fueled in part by Healy’s reputation. There has been a long-running joke online that his bandmates cut him off on stage before he could say anything problematic. Last month at Glastonbury, Japanese-British singer Rina Sawayama accused him of racist comments against Asians.

On a podcast earlier this year, he mocked American rapper Ice Spice, imitated an Asian and Hawaiian accent, and asked the host to share his impressions of Japanese people working in concentration camps. He apologized for some of the comments, saying people misunderstood his sense of humor.

Mr. Healy was trying to do the right thing, but in the wrong way, by proposing to artist Jerome Coogan. Coogan recently organized an exhibition in Kuala Lumpur to allow local LGBT artists to showcase their work.

“I understand and applaud his desire to speak out against regressive laws against LGBTQ+ people in Malaysia and other parts of the world,” he said. “But I think he could have chosen a more beneficial platform to do that.”

Malaysian activist Dia Rezki also felt that Healy’s message of protest was genuine, but worried that his high-profile actions could reinforce the oppression of LGBT people.

Conservative groups have called the incident a violation of “family values” and could point to it as evidence that the LGBT community is “taking things too far and crossing the line,” he said.

“They will use this to target any behavior that LGBT people engage in, including holding hands, kissing, and posting relationships online.”

In Malaysia, there has been a noticeable shift towards conservative parties advocating tougher laws. There is obvious national hostility there.

For example, former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who was in office from 2020 to 2021, made offensive statements against LGBT people, accusing them of being supported by “foreign influences.”

While cities like Kuala Lumpur are more open-minded, it’s different in other parts of the country.

“We continue to see people fired, young people outed, bullied and evicted because of their sexual orientation,” Rezki said.

“We agree that visibility is important and at some point would like to display our work more publicly, but we want to ensure that members of our community are not put at risk. We have always carefully planned how we intend to do that.”