I read many articles about Numan Afifi Saadan who recently resigned from his post as Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman's interim press officer.

From what I understood, he supported the LGBT community and, for this reason, he relinquished his position (some people say he was forced to).

In Malaysia, talking about LGBT is always scary because it is an issue that is not accepted by the majority of the population, even though there are some individuals who openly support the LGBT cause and community, without even being one of them.

For example, one might support the cause of other people just because he or she thinks it is the right thing, without being part of that community.

When I read about Numan Afifi, I recalled a situation in my country, where Rocco Casalino is the official spokesperson for the new Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.

Last week, Casalino went to one gay beach near Rome with his same-sex partner and both of them were photographed together, hugging and kissing. Nobody complained or was surprised because everybody knows Casalino’s sexual orientation. He openly declared it a long time ago and nobody cares.

In Italy, like in the rest of Europe, there are no issues with being an LGBT person. People of the same gender can legally marry and have a family like any other heterosexual person. It’s the law that gives them this right. It is not an issue to have LGBT members of parliament or ministers. In every layer of the society, there are LGBT people. Public figures are not judged based on their sexual orientation, but how they work and perform professionally.

As an Italian citizen living in Malaysia, I can see the differences between the two societies. I am not here to say which is better or even to make a comparison. Every country is unique and, therefore, different. Each has its own values and way of life. This is the beauty of our world and this is what makes travel interesting: the discovery of different cultures, people, and ways of life.

The most important thing, in my opinion, is to always respect the diversity that we might find in other countries and not impose our personal values on others. What is accepted and normal here, it might not be over there and vice versa.

I read that some Malaysian people, when the case of Numan Afifi came out, voiced out “discrimination”, “homophobia”, and “denial of civil liberties”.

You cannot expect Malaysia to be a western country where people live and think like westerners. Everyone should respect and take into consideration the sensitivities of the majority of Malaysians.

If, one day, all countries were to follow the same values, have the same way of life, the same morals, the same laws, the same attitudes, the same thinking, our world would be very boring.
 

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.