Justice for Sisters cautions that labelling LGBT individuals as ‘deviant’ reinforces discrimination and risks safety, citing high mental health strain and constitutional rights.
PETALING JAYA: Advocacy group Justice for Sisters has said labelling LGBT individuals as part of a “deviant culture” could unintentionally reinforce discrimination and put them at greater risk of hostility.
The statement was made following a proposal by Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Marhamah Rosli, who suggested during a Dewan Negara session that the term “LGBT” be replaced with “budaya songsang” (deviant culture) to avoid its perceived normalisation.
“The remarks reflect a long-standing stance that risks spreading misinformation about LGBT people and contributing to societal misunderstanding,” said Justice for Sisters.
“There is a risk of dehumanising individuals and reinforcing the idea that they should be ‘corrected’, including through sexual orientation and gender identity change efforts or faith-based conversion efforts.”
Justice for Sisters added that such characterisations could have real-world implications, potentially affecting individuals’ safety and wellbeing, in addition to their rights under articles 5 and 8 of the Federal Constitution, which guarantee liberty and equality before the law.
The group cited a 2021 survey of 121 LGBT respondents, in which 70.2% reported pressure from family members to change their orientation or gender identity.
It also documented cases in which complaints led to surveillance, event cancellations or other restrictions.
Some 56.4% of respondents reported heightened mental health strain following alleged political remarks and 33.6% faced direct discrimination or harassment.
Justice for Sisters referred to a 2022 study indicating that mental health disorders are more than twice as prevalent among Malaysian LGBT adults, at 80.3%, compared with the general population, at 29.2%.
The group called on the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia to assess the human rights implications of state-led initiatives affecting such persons and urged lawmakers to strengthen legal protections for marginalised communities.
On Saturday, civil society groups G25 and the commission said statements that stigmatise particular groups could deepen prejudice and encourage discrimination.
The commission described such remarks as inappropriate and stressed the need for public officials to make statements that are accurate, responsible and respectful of constitutional guarantees of equality.
It also offered to provide capacity-building sessions for Parliament on human rights principles.
