Key Points
- The 1975 frontman Matty Healy kissed bassist Ross MacDonald on stage at a Malaysian music festival.
- The kiss was in protest against the country's anti-LGBTIQ+ laws.
- The band's performance was cut short after the kiss and Healy's criticism of the laws.
The 1975 has cancelled shows in Taiwan and Muslim-majority Indonesia, a day after Malaysia banned the British group from performing there after its frontman kissed a bandmate on stage and criticised .
"Unfortunately, due to current circumstances, it is impossible to proceed with the scheduled shows," the pop-rock group said in a statement, without elaborating.
"Thank you for your understanding and continued support."
In videos posted on social media on Friday night, Healy was seen kissing bassist Ross MacDonald after criticising the Malaysian government's stance against homosexuality in a profanity-laden speech to the festival audience.
He said the band had considered pulling out of the show but did not want to disappoint fans in Malaysia.
"I made a mistake," Healy said.
"When we were booking shows, I wasn't looking into it.
"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."
Malaysia's government halted a music festival in the capital Kuala Lumpur on Saturday and barred The 1975 after what it called "disrespectful actions".
"There will be no compromise against any party that challenges, disparages and violates Malaysian laws," communications minister Fahmi Fadzil said in a Twitter post after meeting with the organisers of the Good Vibes Festival, a three-day event set to run until Sunday.
Homosexuality is a crime in Muslim-majority Malaysia, and rights groups have warned of growing intolerance against the country's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.
Friday's incident sparked uproar on Malaysian social media, including among some members of the LGBTIQ+ community, who accused Healy of "performative activism" and said his action was likely to expose the community to more stigma and discrimination.
"Matt Healy undoubtedly just made it worse for queer Malaysians who actually live here, and have to face the consequences because we all know our politicians are gonna use this to further their agenda," Carmen Rose, a Malaysian drag queen and performer, said on Twitter.
The band was due to play on Sunday in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation, where homosexuality is a taboo subject although not illegal except in Sharia-ruled Aceh province.
Other LGBTIQ+-related events have also been cancelled in Indonesia due to objections from Islamic groups, including a planned visit last December by a United States LGBTIQ+ special envoy, and the scrapping this month of a Southeast Asia LGBTIQ+ event.
Both came after pressure from religious conservatives.
It was not immediately clear why the band cancelled its 25 July show in Taiwan, which has a reputation as a bastion of LGBTIQ+ rights, including allowing same-sex marriage in 2019.
, which also has laws against homosexual acts, according to media reports.
