Sexuality: Minorities’ rights protected under UN

The Sun Daily
by Hemananthani Sivanandam

KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 10, 2011): The banning of the annual sexuality rights festival Seksualiti Merdeka 2011 by the government and police shows that they are “callous, intolerant and homophobic”, Klang DAP MP Charles Santiago said today.

“Malaysia signed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948 and United Nations Charter before becoming a member of the Human Rights Council of the United Nations, vowing to respect sexual rights as universal rights based on the inherent freedom, equality and dignity of all human beings,” he said.

“Instead of protecting the rights of the minority lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer (LGBTIQ) community, the government has endorsed the ongoing persecution and discrimination against them.

“Following the ban, the organisers and other individuals have received threats, lewd and violent messages,” said Santiago in a statement.

He added that organisers of the festival and former Bar Council president Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan, who was scheduled to officiate the festival were questioned by the police.

“Ruling government-owned media organisations have ignorantly branded the festival as one that advocates free sex.”

He said if we put a stop to labelling people’s sexuality, we would be able to see the importance of human relations.

“We would clearly see the need to respect the rights of all people irrespective of their sexual orientation and identity as it is an integral part of every one of us,”said Santiago.

The Seksualiti Merdeka 2011 programme which was scheduled to be launched on Wednesday and end on Nov 13 at Central Market’s Annexe Gallery, is a yearly festival which championed freedom of sexual orientation and gender identity, and to protect the rights of LGBTIQ.

It first took place in 2008. However, the programme was cancelled after the police, on Saturday, banned functions organised by any group related to the Seksualiti Merdeka programme to safeguard public order.

Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Khalid Abu Bakar said the programme was cancelled after the police, on Saturday, banned functions organised by any group related to the Seksualiti Merdeka programme to safeguard public order.

He said the police were not against freedom of expression or human rights but had to step in because the organisers did not have a permit to hold the festival in public.