Some LGBTQ activists in the country criticized Healy for 'performative activism'
British pop-rock band The 1975 has been banned from performing in Malaysia a day after the band’s frontman Matty Healy slammed the country’s anti-LGBTQ laws and then kissed his bandmate, bassist Ross MacDonald.
The country, where homosexuality is illegal, also canceled the remainder of the Good Vibes Festival Saturday, which was supposed to run the rest of the weekend with several other acts.
"There will be no compromise against any party that challenges, disparages and violates Malaysian laws," Malaysia’s Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said in a statement, according to Reuters.
He added, "never touch on the sensitivities of the community, especially those that are against the traditions and values of the local culture."
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Matty Healy criticized Malaysia anti-LGBTQ laws Friday and kissed The 1975 band member Ross MacDonald. ( Kristy Sparow/Getty Images)
The Good Vibes Festival said in a statement they "deeply regret" the cancelation of the festival due to the "controversial conduct and remarks made by UK artist Matty Healy from the band 1975."
The statement added that Malaysia’s Ministry of Communication has "underlined its unwavering stance against any parties that challenge, ridicule, or contravene Malaysian laws."
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A government committee also clarified that The 1975 has been banned from the country.
"I do not see the point of inviting The 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with," Healy said in a lengthy onstage speech Friday, saying they had considered canceling but didn’t want to disappoint their fans.
The 1975 has been banned from Malaysia. (John Parra/Getty Images for Audacy )
He said he had made a "mistake" in booking the Kuala Lumpur gig, adding, "I wasn’t looking into it."
"Unfortunately, you don’t get a set of loads of uplifting songs because I’m f---ing furious," he told the audience. "And that’s not fair on you, because you’re not representative of your government. You are young people, and I’m sure a lot of you are gay and progressive."
He added, "If you want to invite me here to do a show, you can f--- off. I’ll take your money, you can ban me, but I’ve done this before, and it doesn’t feel good."
Healy and MacDonald then shared a kiss to cheers from the audience, social media videos of the concert show.
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Matty Healy joked about the incident on his Instagram, writing "why don't you try and not make out with [bandmate] Ross [MacDonald] for 20 years." (Matty Healy/Instagram/Getty)
Soon after, Healy told the crowd before leaving, "All right, we've got to go. We just got banned from Kuala Lumpur, I'll see you later."
Healy joked about the incident on his Instagram Story, adding the festival’s cancelation statement and writing, "Ok well why don’t you try and not make out with Ross for 20 years. Not as easy as it looks."
A source close to the band told Fox News Digital, "Matty has a long-time record of advocating for the LGBTQ+ community and the band wanted to stand up for their LGBTQ+ fans and the community."
Some LGBTQ activists in the country criticized Healy’s actions as "performative activism," saying it could actually cause more harm, Reuters reported.
"Matt Healy undoubtedly just made it worse for queer Malaysians who actually live here, and hv to face the consequences bc we all know our politicians are gonna use this to further their agenda," Malaysian drag queen Carmen Rose tweeted.
She added, "Like honestly f--- Matt Healy, he doesn’t care about any of us but himself. The way he acted on stage screams man child to me, like you wasted people’s time, effort, and money."
"He doesn’t care about us or anyone else for that matter," she said.
Healy was similarly criticized for kissing a male fan during a show in the United Arab Emirates in 2019, according to Reuters.
