The 1975‘s Matty Healy is not backing down after the band were banned from Malaysia over the weekend.
During a performance at the Good Vibes Festival in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, The 1975 frontman Matty Healy publicly called out Malaysia’s anti-LGBTQIA+ laws which makes same-sex acts illegal.
Healy then protested the laws by his male bassist, Ross MacDonald, on stage.
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“I don’t see the f–––ing point … of inviting The 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with,” Healy told the crowd during the band’s set at the festival.
The group were then promptly thrown off stage and the remaining festival acts, which also included The Kid LAROI and The Strokes, were abruptly cancelled. Healy then informed the crowd halfway through the set that the band had to leave:
“Alright we gotta go, we just got banned from Kuala Lumpur, see you later,” Healy announced in a clip before running off stage with the band.
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Footage of the incident was posted on social media and sparked a backlash in the predominantly Muslim nation.
Moreover, homosexuality is a crime in the country and is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and caning.
In response to The 1975’s act, Malaysian officials have called out the British-based band calling their conduct “an insult and disrespecting the laws of the country.”
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However, Healy has now hit back at the incident in a string of now-deleted social media posts.
“Ok well why don’t you try and not make out with Ross for 20 years. Not as easy as it looks,” Healy joked on his Instagram.
The UGH! singer had also posted a since-deleted video of a speech from author Christopher Hitchens who proclaimed, “Homosexuality is not just a form of sex – it’s a form of love.”
“Matty has a long-time record of advocating for the LGBTQ+ community,” a source told Page Six regarding the incident. “The band wanted to stand up for their LGBTQ+ fans and community.”
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