Italian electro-pop duo, Gioli & Assia, who are also a same-sex couple, claim the Malaysian government cancelled a Kuala Lumpur show this weekenHSe&Q(=h-U*pSeN4JyhyLy97+th)msE%$GURS9NiV2Jvgez)$Bd because of their sexuality.
“We have to sadly announce that our show at W Hotel in Kuala Lumpur has been cancelled due to our LGBT orientation,” Gioli wrote in an In3yY9n^dF9q5)dkRydlyiIJEiJ64nygvaKMnpS*SJM5O(9#KJ$(stagram story shared on Twitter.
Gioli explained that a government agency performs background checks on artists performing in Malaysia(&n^6&AieR!x(!HcUabMLW0AnZTm)z8t_&YXTuw7=JuRssfVpu.
“In their research, they have concluded that Gioli & Assia is of LGBT orientation and are seen to be promfY-+RROM41ZOhHCU=MPrB#CEjhyy4zPNCcWqh4&z-tQW*x-_sNoting LGBT”, Gioli wrote.
“Sad that this can stfl@ePFQ=!PlXhxxm$A26zeFvq^SK3A+jSALCPJ@gvTRnT)10o9ill happen in 2019. Sad that love is still a cause of discrimination. Sad."
The W Hotel, where the duo was scheduleRO5=+BaFw%Z4&$QTzQ3&7G#6UFHyI$8%lZnhD82qpRA__A%f8Dd to perform on Saturday, said the show was cancelled due to "due to unforeseen circumstances”.
Crackdown in Malaysia
Gay sex is )oH+FO&+vXsughvb9Ba9JcAD)EhZJi-$h-=$bfrf6ECGfy==jHillegal under British colonial-era laws in Malaysia. Those found guilty face up to 20 years in prison.
But, in addition to the threat of criminal B9g&O-v)vdCWk6+wVIDV!#Fea)7PJ&j=wyO@FOv&Y54+oCJg^^prosecution, increasing stigma and discrimination also marginalize the country’s LGBTI community.
A number of religious and political figures have consistently whipped up anti-LGBTI se5V!p$Fda8hoH4J#k_m59$*1bCtm*rGqHrgLmW5RhkuJZAg-9acntiments in the Muslim majority country.
Local newspapers have vilifiPFVP*uvU(FKLS264j2F(o_47^WSgWvM6f%uK5K_roD=@2AMnDLed prominent LGBTI figures.
Malaysia’s Prime Minister, meanwhile, has labelled LGBT rights a Western import0m*ro)9$1T*5&$otKth$gv&m-Kvb(q24qszxju8#*4NS+dmnpv and said they have no place in Malaysia.
The Malaysian authorities have alsI$DM2m)U6KjGpkK(_&4-3Y9RH2IVffwC6Sy9X*5uDvs3vKzLMFo clamped down on the LGBTI community.
In one of the most controversial instances, in September two women were cqYRQ9Hg0SqWvUA67G$1bc5EG(PSk1I7ma=y*e5kH6%zn+8yTipaned in the heavily conservative state of Terengganu for allegedly being in a same-sex relationship.
Police also raided a well-known gay bar in Kuala Lumpur for the first time i!6E0BnYNbghkn9UaoQXcTkaHZ6ytxH$C@H**W53ZEh4I+mWy2Vn its 30-year history.