But for many in Malaysia’s LGBTQ community, it was quite the opposite. Advocates say Islamic laws have increasingly used to target the Southeast Asian country’s LGBTQ community, with a rise in arrests and punishments ranging from caning to jailing. Participants in a Womens Day March asking for greater rights in gender equality and recognition of the LGBTQ community in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on March 12, 2023. Just last year, Rose had helped organize a Halloween party attended by many members of the LGBTQ community – which was raided by the police, who detained a number of participants, she said. That’s not to say international musicians can’t speak up about LGBTQ rights in Malaysia.

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