If ever there was an art form us gays own (besides, y’know, all of them) its musical theater. That’s why we’re so incensed that the Malaysian government has sponsored a musical aimed at teaching young people about the dangers of being LGBT.
Asmara Songsang (or, Abnormal Desire) follows the lives of three queer gang members—we know they’re gay because they take drugs, throw loud parties and engage in casual sex. The trio’s Muslim neighbors try to bring the perverts back into the fold, but a convenient lighting storm slays those who refuse to change their evil ways. After a lecture on the hideous wrongs of not being heterosexual, the entire cast comes out on stage with Malaysian flags and sings a song dedicated to national unity.
Writer-director Rahman Adam, 73, says the goal of Abnormal Desire is to alert youngsters and their parents as to “the bad things about LGBT.”
“Nowadays in Malaysia you read so many things in newspaper articles or write-ups about LGBT… because [LGBT] are going into schools and influencing the children,” he said. “Children need to recognize that men are for women, and women are for men. They are all out to have homosexual and lesbian sex, and although right now it is not so serious [in Malaysia], we need to act, to do something, to say something, to say that this is bad and not to follow it.”
Malay blogger Alia Ali calls Asmara Songsang “all-out propaganda” that’s not just bigoted, it’s poorly executed:
Even if it wasn’t propagandistic, there were too many troubling issues: The part that gets to me the most is that according to the playwright, all non-heterosexuals seem to belong to a club. Membership is declared by choosing whether they want to be an L, G, B or T, then a partner (or “baby LGBT” as they call it) for them is found. Any sort of contact with the heteronormative world is cut off — in fact, they’ll fight tooth and nail to keep recruits in their clutches and away from their family. And since they’re immoral and not “normal”, they must of course drink heavily, take drugs, and make out right in public. They actively recruit members to join their side, turning straight people gay, and clearly don’t even live in reality.
The Guardian reports that the musical features some of the country’s biggest TV stars and has played the national theater in Kuala Lumpur, in addition to public schools and universities across the largely Islamic country.
We’re guessing it won’t be heading to Broadway.
Photos: © Kakiseni Blog
PRINCE OF SNARKNESS aka DIVKID
It sounds a hoot, potentially. You KNOW that shit is just screaming out to be subverted by our people. So bring it on, I say!
hephaestion
Malaysia is about to become the laughing stock of the world. They surely do not realize this, but when they become a world-wide joke it will destroy them economically. A nation can not promote such ignorance (and such unsubstantiated lies and hate) without destroying itself.
Vimze
Writer & director, 73 ..come on, it just says it all. But unfortunately Malaysia lives in the dark ages. Malaysia DO have a large gay population, but everybody just too afraid to live out their sexuality, because of the shame it will bring to their families, being disowned or even not able to get a job.The sodomi laws from when the British was here are still in use. So come on guys take control of your lives. Show the uneducated generation that the world has changed.
Ogre Magi
I hate muslims
MuscleModelBlog.com
@hephaestion:
Exactly. Look at all the people who have said anti-gay remarks (Michelle Shocked, restaurant owners from Michigan) recently who have since apologized…no doubt because their bigotry is turning away fans / customers.
Vimze
@Ogre Magi: so very intelligent of you.. VERY .. Just show shows the ignorance in this world.. Have you ever read any but Donald Duck … Or been outside your hill billy village.. No wonder we don’t get any further…
Ogre Magi
@Vimze: Let’s see, muslims do things like this and much much worse! They most definitely deserve to be hated
Vimze
@Ogre Magi: RIght.. So Islam is the only religion, that is against homosexually ??! And have anti gay programs in various communities ! Stop being so naive. Try and read some of the other articles, ex. here on Queerty. I do not believe that Dave Agema is Muslim …the pope for that matter…
Merv
To know Malaysia, is to hate Malaysia.
Gay people shouldn’t feel too left out, because Malaysia also persecutes the Chinese minority. It’s probably also not a coincidence that the Malay majority is 99% Muslim while the Chinese are less than 1% Muslim.
Ogre Magi
@Vimze: You think I don’t hate christians too? It seems like you are the one who needs to get out more!
Vimze
@Ogre Magi: Wow …so much hate.. That’s really sad.. No wonder we got problems…
Vimze
@Merv: as you probably know the approximate etnic Chinese population in Malaysia are 25 % , the majority are Buddhists, the rest a good mixture of everything.. But the fact is that most of the ethnic Chinese or any gay citizen in Malaysia live under the same pressure from family traditions and outdated anti gay laws.. Wether you are Muslim , Buddhist , Hindu or Christian …we took this battle about 50 years ago, and still have to fight for our rights.. So until someone with enough balls do the same within their religions and family tradition . For sure they got a very long way to go.