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View all search resultsLGBTQ fears grow in Malaysia as Islamists shatter reform hopes
Since the raid, during which several partygoers were arrested, Rose has stopped doing shows and rarely ventures out in public in costume.
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A
rtist Carmen Rose used to perform regularly in Malaysia, until a police raid last year put an end to the veteran drag queen’s act and fueled the fears of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community at a time when Islamists are rapidly gaining political clout.
Since the raid, during which several partygoers were arrested, Rose has stopped doing shows and rarely ventures out in public in costume.
“It’s always a risk going out in drag. If there was a raid, who do we call? Do we bring our boy clothes just in case?” said Rose, who declined to disclose her non-drag identity due to fears of reprisal.
“They see us as sexual deviants or sinners.”
Queer Malaysians and rights groups told Reuters that LGBTQ communities faced increasing scrutiny and discrimination under Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s government, despite the longtime opposition leader’s reputation as a progressive reformer.
Analysts say Anwar, who took office after the November general election, is under pressure to bolster his Islamic credentials among the Muslim majority in the face of an increasingly popular ultraconservative opposition that has steadily gained more political ground since the vote.
Malaysia’s opposition bloc includes Islamist party PAS, which promotes a strict interpretation of sharia law and opposes LGBTQ rights. The party holds the most number of seats in parliament for the first time ever, and its gains in state elections this month have reinforced its political influence.
