13 Feb Malaysian Newspaper Under Fire For Publishing ‘How To Spot A Gay’ Checklist

The Western world’s treatment and perception of LGBTQ+ people has changed irrevocably over the past 50 years. Now, LGBTQ+ people no longer have to live in fear of being imprisoned, they are free to legally marry, and the amount of persecution they face has significantly decreased.

However, outside of the Western hemisphere and Europe, the treatment of LGBTQ+ people remains extremely oppressive.

In July 2017, it was revealed that gay relationships are illegal in 72 countries, with eight countries in the world still punishing homosexuality with the death penalty, according to an annual report by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA).

One of the countries where homosexuality is illegal is Malaysia, and LGBTQ+ people there can be subjected to up to 20 years imprisonment with or without fines or whippings. The country’s laws have largely been shaped by Islam, Malaysia’s official religion.

Homosexuality is deemed to be “unislamic” and Islamic laws prohibit cross-dressing, causing transgender people to “face arbitrary arrest, physical and sexual assault, imprisonment, discriminatory denial of health care and employment, and other abuses.”

Now, the country has come under international fire for releasing a “how to spot a gay” checklist.

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