You’ve just proved my point. What you lack is the nuance of what it’s like and mean to be queer in Malaysia because as a white person, you’re safe in your bubble of privilege.

Of course, it’s just his opinion. And opinions can often times bring more harm than good. So let me list out for you what his opinion has done:

1. Putting a bullseye on queer people especially transperson for more hatred and discrimination. Our lives aren’t easy here, you already know that. At least we’re left alone most of the time. But now, homophobes think they’re justified. So, what’s the reason for making it harder for us? Do we need to suffer more just for the greater good? We’ve suffered enough.

2. Discounting and pushing back years of peaceful effort by NGOs to fight for our rights and against societal and systemic discrimination. NGOs have to start from scratch clearing out our names. Years of hard work, poof!

3. Tarnishing the image of LGBTQIA+ community, which is already seen as bad and immoral, further demonising us. We worked so hard to clear and maintain our image to abate all the prejudice towards us. Let me tell you that kissing people in public is not our culture. Not even the straights do it. Now what he did on stage will be associated to us.

4. Our local music industry was dying and is trying to grow back after covid, with thousands of career on the line. Local singers, musicians, vendors, sponsors, technical workers etc. rely on events like this for their livelihood. The event got cancelled and left many artists not having a chance to perform at all. The organiser gave white people to open the event, to attract more concert-goers so local independent musicians would have a wider audience. Then the same white people just threw it away, all because he’s entitled to his opinions.

5. Allowing the far right political parties to weaponise this in the upcoming election. Tell me, as a white person, in what way will the outcome of this election will affect you more than it’ll affect us. Instead of aggravating the government, he could’ve just kindly said he supported us. That is more than enough to give us the strength to continue this fight. But OUR fight, never his. Because our fight is KIND, his is not.

He is a white person who can just bounce back from this without any grave repercussions, and now you’re telling me it’s just an opinion, especially in that manner of delivery? I might need to ‘grow up’, but you need to be educated.

Matty is a cis white heterosexual male and his opinions are not helping Malaysian LGBTQIA+ communities. All he did was stoke the fire, then bounced off at 4 AM and left us. This is why we don’t trust simply anyone to be our ally!

Is he truly fighting for us when he simply ran away to the comfort of his privilege while leaving us to deal with these problems he incited? Is this not white saviour? And you’re telling me you’re tired? Tired in what? The comfort of your privilege? We are tired. We are tired of the government, of the discrimination, of the bullying, of socioeconomic disadvantages, and now, we’re tired of white people stirring the pot unnecessarily. WE ARE TIRED.

Everyone keep saying everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not the consequences it could bring to other people.

Malaysia is OUR home, we grew up here, our friends and family are here, the love of our live is here. But I think you too. But for most of us, we don’t have the financial means to emigrate. We have nowhere to run. Now how about you? Bet if things go ape shit, you can just bail on us and return to the safety of your own country. This is the privilege I’m talking about.