The UK indie rock band The 1975 have canceled their upcoming shows in Taiwan following nationwide outrage in Malaysia after vocalist Matty Healy kissed bass player Ross MacDonald during the Good Vibes music festival in Kuala Lumpur.
Protesting Malaysia’s anti-LGBTQ laws, Healy said: “I do not see the point of inviting The 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with.”
The band’s performance was cut short and the following day, the organizers announced that the Malaysian Ministry of Communications and Digital had canceled the festival.
Malaysia is a predominantly Muslim country, and government officials have openly spoken against LGBTQ communities on many occasions. In April 2014, Muhyiddin Yassin, who later served as Malaysian prime minister, publicly stated that LGBTQ is “poisoning the minds of Muslims with deviant practices.”
Homosexuality is illegal in Malaysia and punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
The 1975 was scheduled to play in Jakarta on Sunday and Taipei on Tuesday, but the band decided to cancel both concerts.
Homosexuality is not illegal in most provinces in Indonesia, except the highly conservative Aceh Province. However, LGBTQ communities are largely ostracized and shunned. Canceling the Jakarta concert was thus understandable, but canceling the one in Taipei is questionable.
Taiwan is one of the most liberal countries in Asia, and perhaps the most LGBTQ-friendly nation in the region. On May 24, 2019, Taiwan became the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. The support for the LGBTQ community in Taiwan has continued to increase over the years. For many young people, being a supporter of the LGBTQ movement is considered an important aspect of their Taiwanese identity.
Taiwanese identity has been a long-debated topic that plays a defining role in cross-strait relations. Are they Taiwanese or Chinese, or both? Gradually, Taiwanese have formed a consensus that they are citizens of a democratic country that has achieved full autonomy.
I would argue that Taiwan’s political democratization is a catalyst for this identity formation, hence the popularity of the support for LGBTQ rights, often synonymous with liberal democracy and especially common among young Taiwanese.
Despite this, The 1975 still canceled their show in Taipei and without much explanation from the band, there is only speculation regarding the rationale behind this decision. Support for LGBTQ rights varies widely in Asia, but for the most part, LGBTQ topics are still considered taboo in most countries.
Countries like Taiwan, Japan, Thailand and Singapore have made significant progress by gradually recognizing LGBTQ individuals and securing their rights. On the other end of the spectrum, there are countries like Iraq and Afghanistan where LGBTQ rights are in constant decline, especially after the Taliban’s takeover.
Without prior research, it is easy to put all governments under one spectrum as being anti-LGBTQ.
From Healy’s protest about inviting The 1975 to a country and then “telling us who we can have sex with,” it can be concluded that he and the band attempted to promote an LGBTQ narrative at their concert. It is therefore counterproductive to cancel their concert in Asia’s most LGBTQ-friendly country.
Unfortunately, despite decades of effort and a progressive civil rights movement, to some groups, Taiwan still falls into the anti-LGBTQ Asian stereotype.
Patrick Kurniawan is a graduate student at National Chengchi University.
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