‘Telling us to migrate is wrong and rude’

Anisah Shukry and Natasha Lai | September 19, 2012

The LGBT community says that the solution to the problem lies not in the migration of the community but with the government’s way of thinking.

PETALING JAYA: Members of the local lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community have lashed out against an associate professor’s suggestion that they migrate from Malaysia, saying that the advice is unconstitutional and plain rude.

Yesterday, UKM associate professor Dr Samsul Adabi Mamat said that LGBTs who wished to continue with their lifestyle should migrate to the West as Malaysians could not accept their culture.

“We must follow the majority point of view. In Malaysia, LGBTs will be judged based on religion and obviously the LGBT culture is against religion,” he had told FMT.

But Victor, an openly gay mass communications student from Taylor’s university, said it was wrong to allow religion to rule one’s sexual preferences and use it as a basis to endorse the migration of a whole community.

“I don’t believe that religion should dictate who you are and who you should love. This suggestion of LGBTs migrating is wrong and rude,” he said.

Writer Lilian Tan, who is a lesbian, also said it was “erroneous” of the associate professor to tell LGBTs to migrate to the West as such advice was unconstitutional.

“Where does he get this from? Why should we migrate to the West? We have birth certificates, we have every right to continue to stay in Malaysia,” said Tan.

“If LGBTs choose to go to Western countries to find better prospects, it’s up to them to decide. But they should definitely not be forced into thinking that they must migrate.

“The constitution states everyone should be treated fairly. It does not support such an advice,” said Tan.

She also said that Samsul was perpetuating a “prevalent fallacy” by saying the LGBT culture had been imported from the West, as members of the community had existed for a long time in every culture.

Malaysians are open-minded

Meanwhile, speaking from his own experience, Victor disagreed with Samsul’s statements that Malaysians were unable to digest the LGBT culture.

He said he had encountered many people who not only accepted his “unique” lifestyle but were willing to learn more from him.

“People are actually open-minded, even though the way I dress up, the way I walk or the way I represent myself is totally unique from others,” he said.

“People have approached me to ask me all sorts of questions about being gay. They are interested and they accept me as a gay friend or a gay family member.”

He said even his family had been supportive of him when he came out of the closet, although they would at times disagree with some of the decisions he made.

But he did admit that he received negative feedbacks on a daily basis from Malaysians, including strangers, who were less understanding and accepting of the LGBT community.

“Not everyone can accept me being a gay. Every single day there are people or strangers who criticise and condemn me just because I decided to be the real me – gay,” he said.

Tan said it was clear Samsul’s “sweeping conclusion” that Malaysians as a whole could not accept LGBTs was wrong, judging from the many LGBT-sympathetic websites and blogs.

“I don’t know who made him the spokesperson for Malaysians, saying that Malaysians cannot digest the LGBT lifestyle.

“There are different types of people out there. You can see from online reactions that Malaysians are by and large very empathetic and sympathetic to the community,” she said.

“I’m not saying all Malaysians support LGBT. There are certainly bigots out there, although I’ve never met them, but sweepingly say that Malaysians cannot accept the culture is wrong.”

Government, not LGBT, the problem
Victor said the so-called LGBT solution lay with the government’s views and perceptions regarding the community, as they had the ability to influence the thinking of Malaysians.

He said that Malaysians had been taught to deny the LGBT community’s rights and existence, despite accepting and even enjoying the presence of LGBT characters on their TV screens.

“Homosexuality is not the problem. It’s a lifestyle, a way of living life for unique people like me,” he said.

“Being a gay is not my choice, I just couldn’t help it. I was born this way, I was attracted to men since I was young and I have no feelings toward women.

“For me, the solution is to be more accepting and open-minded.”