Malaysian music fans fear their entertainment scene is falling foul of the nation’s cancel culture, after lesbian singer Kehlani dropped a Kuala Lumpur gig later this month and a local band with songs containing anti-LGBTQ lyrics was suddenly axed from opening for punk megaband Green Day.
The stadium-filling American rock stars – who play the National Hockey Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on February 18 – are vocal supporters of LGBTQ rights, calling transphobic people “close-minded” and afraid of letting their children be themselves.
Its frontman Billie Joe Armstrong, who has identified as bisexual since 1995, once described his sexuality as “a very beautiful thing”.
Yet Malaysia has been perceived as becoming increasingly hostile to LGBTQ expression, with government crackdowns on related literature, media and activism.
On Monday, event organisers Live Nation announced that Malaysian band Bunkface had been dropped as the opening act for Green Day, citing “logistical, scheduling, and production adjustments”.
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