A homophobic Malaysia
Josh HongPublished: Sep 24, 2010 4:06 AM | Updated: Sep 24, 2010 4:32 AM
Perhaps I did not articulate it clearly enough. Or were some readers simply bent on interpreting things in the way that suited them?
The question that I posed at the very end of my last article was fairly simple: Would Penny Wong have made much headway in her political career had she remained in Malaysia? Fat chance, I would think.
Perhaps I did not articulate it clearly enough. Or were some readers simply bent on interpreting things in the way that suited them?
The question that I posed at the very end of my last article was fairly simple: Would Penny Wong have made much headway in her political career had she remained in Malaysia? Fat chance, I would think.
Instead of getting a straightforward answer, I was told to prove Wong’s homosexuality. In this day and age when much information can come at one’s fingertips, why are many too lazy to google but wait to be spoon-fed?
This was what Wong (left) said during a Q&A session last July, widely reported in Australian broadsheets:
“When I entered the parliament, I did actually think very carefully about how to handle being Asian and gay and in the parliament, because it hadn’t been done before… I thought it was very important to show that you should never be ashamed of who you are.”
Wong ought to be rewarded with accolades for her honesty, and there should not be a negative stigma of any kind attached to the Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, and Transgender (LGBT) communities worldwide.
I am not in the least interested in one’s private life. In fact, had she not contradicted her past position on same-sex marriage, I would not have bothered with her political advancement in the first place.
In 2006, the Labor senator made it clear that she looked to a day when the Australian public would judge relationships by respect, commitment, love and security, rather than the gender of one’s partner. Criticising Prime Minister John Howard for his refusal to
recognise same-sex union at the time, she believed the day would only come under a Labor government.
In view of her long-held conviction on the issue, Wong’s sudden volte-face could not help generating the cynicism that it was an attempt on her part to win favour with Julia Gillard (right) in order to keep her job as a cabinet minister.
But my real intention, really, was to gauge the opinion of the Malaysian public on a politician who decided to “come out”. Judging from the majority of the comments so far, things are not looking good indeed.
Vociferous opposition
Of greater interest is of course the vociferous opposition by those who cite biblical passages in rejecting homosexuality.
A Christian myself, I am acutely aware that the holy book is subject to various interpretations, and hence fully understand it when one is anxious to protect the integrity and infallibility of the Christian faith.
Yet it does not shield the Christian community from being confronted with the dilemma of having to reconcile one’s religious sanctity with modern politics based on democratic principles, i.e. agree to disagree while accepting that consensus must be derived from open dialogue and debate, not imposed by divine command.
Wong’s achievements as a minority politician in Australia have made many Chinese Malaysians green with envy, whether they like to admit it or not. I trust they would still endorse her wholeheartedly had she remained a Malaysian, but I am not so sure if the support would be contingent on Wong’s not revealing her sexual orientation. In the Malaysian context, one may go places in politics so long as one keeps one’s homosexuality hidden from the public.
This would be similar to the standard practice in a conventional church that a gay or lesbian Christian will only be allowed to serve the congregation provided the person does not go public with his/her homosexuality, but chooses to “deal with it” with Christian support.
Been there, done that, and many became so disillusioned with the church establishment that they actually quit Christianity. Not me, though. By God’s grace, I know how to live with my sexuality.
Having said that, it would be pathetic to know a Christian may go all out to fight against racism and religious conservatism, only to stop short of endorsing an LGBT politician on the basis of “divine revelation”.
With the wisdom of hindsight, Wong was right to leave Malaysia, for there would be one multiple-glazed glass ceiling that she would never be able to break through, i.e. the pervasive prejudice against and unfathomable fear of homosexuality.
Entitled to their own tastes
It is rather bemusing, or, should I say, amusing, to see how many argue against homosexuality by claiming that it would mean “the end of human race”, as if the so-called straights could become “bent” overnight once liberalisation is allowed. Others blame the LGBT people for “imposing their lifestyle on society”. But what makes a heterosexual guy so confident that any gay man will simply fall for him? I suppose the homosexuals, like anyone else, are entitled to their own personal tastes!
All hell breaks loose if homosexuality is properly recognised by the state, so the argument goes. But really, I do not see any difference between this unjustified fear and the profound angst of the paranoid Muslims of being swamped by secular and non-Islamic forces.
A few comments on my previous piece also reveal how misguided some readers are. They seem, for instance, to think anal sex is unique to gay men (the arse is not meant for reproduction blah blah blah). Didn’t anyone tell them penile-anal intercourse is common to heterosexual couples too?
In fact, not all gay men engage in or enjoy anal sex.
And if the penis was only for removing waste fluid as well as for causing pregnancy, why do straight men relish in oral sex? Was it not strange that the wolf-pack attack by the moral vanguards against Chua Soi Lek was concentrated on the latter’s infidelity, rather than his having committed “carnal intercourse against the order of nature” as defined under Sections 377(A) and 377(B) of the Penal Code?
Ill-informed foreigners may come under the delusion that Malaysia is predominantly homophobic because of Islam; what they need to be told is that non-Muslim communities - and Christians especially - are equally, if not more, ignorant of issues concerning LGBT people.
But there is no denying that the Umno-led government sowed the seeds for the anti-LGBT sentiments in Malaysia. Mahathir Mohamad obviously believed that sodomy charges against Anwar Ibrahim in 1998 would be damning enough to halt public support for his sacked deputy, but the subsequent events proved him wrong. Desperate to rally the country behind him, he encouraged an environment in which homosexuality was used as a bogeyman.
In the months that followed, government officials joined a rising chorus of condemnation of homosexuality, with Abdul Kadir Che Kob from the Islamic Affairs Department telling Time magazine that homosexuals “are shameless people” and homosexuality a sin “worse than murder”.
Before Ibrahim Ali shot to stardom with his ultra-nationalist rhetoric, the man had offered himself to help in the Mahathirist mission to “wipe out” homosexuality by launching The People’s Voluntary Anti-Homosexual Movement, or Pasrah, shortly after Anwar was put behind bars. The group also felt that the existing sodomy law was insufficient to address the “moral danger” posed by homosexuals.
The only comfort in this episode was Marina Mahathir’s (left) public statement against the homophobic atmosphere tacitly endorsed by her father, and also that some NGOs, such as Suaram, condemned the government’s attempt to keep itself in power by making homosexuals the scapegoat.
Years later, Mahathir remained recalcitrant. In 2007, he reiterated that “gay people should not be allowed to govern mostly Muslim Malaysia”. I am quite sure his words found a sympathetic ear among many, Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
(Yes, I personally know of many LGBTs who indulge in the reminiscence of the “economic miracle” under Mahathir, but let’s save it for another day.)
Increasingly repressive undercurrents
Non-Muslims may lament the increasingly repressive undercurrents over the last decade, but when it comes to the LGBT issue, many of them are in the same mind as Muslim fundamentalists. Should this be surprising? After all, the term ‘fundamentalism’ was coined by Christians, not Muslims.
Even sadder is the fact that other countries that lagged behind Malaysia in terms of political development in the past have now surpassed us in one way or another.
Starting today, Indonesia plays host to one of Asia’s largest gay pride events - Q! Film Festival - featuring more than 150 films on sexuality and LGBT-themed books in six different cities. Cautious but shrewd, NGOs working on LBGT issues have been steadfastly gaining support without alienating the wider society.
The world’s largest Muslim nation has been characterised by much uncertainty and disillusion in its democratic transformation since the fall of the Suharto regime, but the country is now more mature in handling societal differences in an open and fair manner.
And in China, the communist regime used to consider homosexuals to be mentally ill, and Chinese police often charged them with “hooligan behavior”. Thanks to relentless lobbying and education by home-based experts and activists, not overseas advocates or international pressure, the Chinese Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from the list of mental disorders in 2001.
Today, violence against homosexuals is rare, although the media can be prejudiced sometimes.
Economically, Malaysia is slowly losing its advantages and position vis à vis our neighbours. Unbeknownst to many, our society is also becoming more intolerant at the same time. It would seem that the idea of human rights is not universal, and is only good when it serves one’s own race, gender, sexuality, creed and religion.
Still don’t believe me? Just ask if people like Penny Wong would want to live and work among those who constantly issue virulent tirades against homosexuality.
JOSH HONG studied politics at London Metropolitan University and the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. A keen watcher of domestic and international politics, he longs for a day when Malaysians will learn and master the art of self-mockery, and enjoy life to the full in spite of politicians.
The question that I posed at the very end of my last article was fairly simple: Would Penny Wong have made much headway in her political career had she remained in Malaysia? Fat chance, I would think.
Instead of getting a straightforward answer, I was told to prove Wong’s homosexuality. In this day and age when much information can come at one’s fingertips, why are many too lazy to google but wait to be spoon-fed?This was what Wong (left) said during a Q&A session last July, widely reported in Australian broadsheets:
“When I entered the parliament, I did actually think very carefully about how to handle being Asian and gay and in the parliament, because it hadn’t been done before… I thought it was very important to show that you should never be ashamed of who you are.”
Wong ought to be rewarded with accolades for her honesty, and there should not be a negative stigma of any kind attached to the Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, and Transgender (LGBT) communities worldwide.
I am not in the least interested in one’s private life. In fact, had she not contradicted her past position on same-sex marriage, I would not have bothered with her political advancement in the first place.
In 2006, the Labor senator made it clear that she looked to a day when the Australian public would judge relationships by respect, commitment, love and security, rather than the gender of one’s partner. Criticising Prime Minister John Howard for his refusal to
recognise same-sex union at the time, she believed the day would only come under a Labor government.In view of her long-held conviction on the issue, Wong’s sudden volte-face could not help generating the cynicism that it was an attempt on her part to win favour with Julia Gillard (right) in order to keep her job as a cabinet minister.
But my real intention, really, was to gauge the opinion of the Malaysian public on a politician who decided to “come out”. Judging from the majority of the comments so far, things are not looking good indeed.
Vociferous opposition
Of greater interest is of course the vociferous opposition by those who cite biblical passages in rejecting homosexuality.
A Christian myself, I am acutely aware that the holy book is subject to various interpretations, and hence fully understand it when one is anxious to protect the integrity and infallibility of the Christian faith.
Yet it does not shield the Christian community from being confronted with the dilemma of having to reconcile one’s religious sanctity with modern politics based on democratic principles, i.e. agree to disagree while accepting that consensus must be derived from open dialogue and debate, not imposed by divine command.Wong’s achievements as a minority politician in Australia have made many Chinese Malaysians green with envy, whether they like to admit it or not. I trust they would still endorse her wholeheartedly had she remained a Malaysian, but I am not so sure if the support would be contingent on Wong’s not revealing her sexual orientation. In the Malaysian context, one may go places in politics so long as one keeps one’s homosexuality hidden from the public.
This would be similar to the standard practice in a conventional church that a gay or lesbian Christian will only be allowed to serve the congregation provided the person does not go public with his/her homosexuality, but chooses to “deal with it” with Christian support.
Been there, done that, and many became so disillusioned with the church establishment that they actually quit Christianity. Not me, though. By God’s grace, I know how to live with my sexuality.
Having said that, it would be pathetic to know a Christian may go all out to fight against racism and religious conservatism, only to stop short of endorsing an LGBT politician on the basis of “divine revelation”.
With the wisdom of hindsight, Wong was right to leave Malaysia, for there would be one multiple-glazed glass ceiling that she would never be able to break through, i.e. the pervasive prejudice against and unfathomable fear of homosexuality.
Entitled to their own tastes
It is rather bemusing, or, should I say, amusing, to see how many argue against homosexuality by claiming that it would mean “the end of human race”, as if the so-called straights could become “bent” overnight once liberalisation is allowed. Others blame the LGBT people for “imposing their lifestyle on society”. But what makes a heterosexual guy so confident that any gay man will simply fall for him? I suppose the homosexuals, like anyone else, are entitled to their own personal tastes!
All hell breaks loose if homosexuality is properly recognised by the state, so the argument goes. But really, I do not see any difference between this unjustified fear and the profound angst of the paranoid Muslims of being swamped by secular and non-Islamic forces.A few comments on my previous piece also reveal how misguided some readers are. They seem, for instance, to think anal sex is unique to gay men (the arse is not meant for reproduction blah blah blah). Didn’t anyone tell them penile-anal intercourse is common to heterosexual couples too?
In fact, not all gay men engage in or enjoy anal sex.
And if the penis was only for removing waste fluid as well as for causing pregnancy, why do straight men relish in oral sex? Was it not strange that the wolf-pack attack by the moral vanguards against Chua Soi Lek was concentrated on the latter’s infidelity, rather than his having committed “carnal intercourse against the order of nature” as defined under Sections 377(A) and 377(B) of the Penal Code?
Ill-informed foreigners may come under the delusion that Malaysia is predominantly homophobic because of Islam; what they need to be told is that non-Muslim communities - and Christians especially - are equally, if not more, ignorant of issues concerning LGBT people.
But there is no denying that the Umno-led government sowed the seeds for the anti-LGBT sentiments in Malaysia. Mahathir Mohamad obviously believed that sodomy charges against Anwar Ibrahim in 1998 would be damning enough to halt public support for his sacked deputy, but the subsequent events proved him wrong. Desperate to rally the country behind him, he encouraged an environment in which homosexuality was used as a bogeyman.
In the months that followed, government officials joined a rising chorus of condemnation of homosexuality, with Abdul Kadir Che Kob from the Islamic Affairs Department telling Time magazine that homosexuals “are shameless people” and homosexuality a sin “worse than murder”.
Before Ibrahim Ali shot to stardom with his ultra-nationalist rhetoric, the man had offered himself to help in the Mahathirist mission to “wipe out” homosexuality by launching The People’s Voluntary Anti-Homosexual Movement, or Pasrah, shortly after Anwar was put behind bars. The group also felt that the existing sodomy law was insufficient to address the “moral danger” posed by homosexuals.
The only comfort in this episode was Marina Mahathir’s (left) public statement against the homophobic atmosphere tacitly endorsed by her father, and also that some NGOs, such as Suaram, condemned the government’s attempt to keep itself in power by making homosexuals the scapegoat. Years later, Mahathir remained recalcitrant. In 2007, he reiterated that “gay people should not be allowed to govern mostly Muslim Malaysia”. I am quite sure his words found a sympathetic ear among many, Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
(Yes, I personally know of many LGBTs who indulge in the reminiscence of the “economic miracle” under Mahathir, but let’s save it for another day.)
Increasingly repressive undercurrents
Non-Muslims may lament the increasingly repressive undercurrents over the last decade, but when it comes to the LGBT issue, many of them are in the same mind as Muslim fundamentalists. Should this be surprising? After all, the term ‘fundamentalism’ was coined by Christians, not Muslims.
Even sadder is the fact that other countries that lagged behind Malaysia in terms of political development in the past have now surpassed us in one way or another.
Starting today, Indonesia plays host to one of Asia’s largest gay pride events - Q! Film Festival - featuring more than 150 films on sexuality and LGBT-themed books in six different cities. Cautious but shrewd, NGOs working on LBGT issues have been steadfastly gaining support without alienating the wider society.
The world’s largest Muslim nation has been characterised by much uncertainty and disillusion in its democratic transformation since the fall of the Suharto regime, but the country is now more mature in handling societal differences in an open and fair manner.
And in China, the communist regime used to consider homosexuals to be mentally ill, and Chinese police often charged them with “hooligan behavior”. Thanks to relentless lobbying and education by home-based experts and activists, not overseas advocates or international pressure, the Chinese Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from the list of mental disorders in 2001.
Today, violence against homosexuals is rare, although the media can be prejudiced sometimes.
Economically, Malaysia is slowly losing its advantages and position vis à vis our neighbours. Unbeknownst to many, our society is also becoming more intolerant at the same time. It would seem that the idea of human rights is not universal, and is only good when it serves one’s own race, gender, sexuality, creed and religion.
Still don’t believe me? Just ask if people like Penny Wong would want to live and work among those who constantly issue virulent tirades against homosexuality.
JOSH HONG studied politics at London Metropolitan University and the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. A keen watcher of domestic and international politics, he longs for a day when Malaysians will learn and master the art of self-mockery, and enjoy life to the full in spite of politicians.
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