Authorities in Malaysia’s conservative state of Kelantan have arrested 12 men following a raid on what police described as a “gay party”, as part of an intensifying nationwide crackdown on LGBTQ+ people.
According to regional news outlet Sloboden Pecat, the arrests occurred despite officers finding no evidence of sexual activity at the event. However, the presence of condoms and HIV medication was cited as grounds to suggest that such activity may have been intended.
Kelantan’s police chief, Mohd Yusof Mamat, confirmed that three men were charged after police allegedly found explicit adult images on their phones. The remaining nine were not charged due to lack of evidence.
“During interrogation, [party attendees] admitted that they belonged to a homosexual group,” said Mamat.
“We are concerned about this type of behaviour… We will continue to monitor the movements of homosexual groups.”
Police believe more than 100 men were at the party, although most had already left before officers conducted the raid.
Background: Ongoing Hostility Toward LGBTQ+ Malaysians
Malaysia retains colonial-era anti-LGBTQ+ laws, inherited from British rule. These laws have been further enforced and politicised by conservative Muslim leaders, contributing to an increasingly hostile environment for queer people in the country.
In recent years, Malaysia has made international headlines for its treatment of LGBTQ+ communities:
- In 2023, the government introduced a “kill switch” for live events following a same-sex kiss by members of The 1975 at a local festival.
- In 2022, 20 Muslims were detained at a Halloween party for cross-dressing and allegedly “encouraging vice”.
- Authorities claimed that LGBTQ+ content made up half of all censored publications between 2020 and mid-2025.
- In 2019, four men were publicly caned for same-sex relations, discovered after being monitored online.
- In 2018, Kuala Lumpur police raided the Blue Boy gay bar, with government officials justifying it as a move to curb the “spread of LGBTQ culture”.
- Malaysia has also seen trans women attacked, hospitalised, or murdered by violent mobs in recent years.
Despite this crackdown, LGBTQ+ advocacy persists. Events like Seksualiti Merdeka (Independent Sexuality) have managed to survive, although not without political interference.
A particularly damaging moment came in 2019, when then-Tourism Minister Datuk Mohamaddin Ketapi falsely claimed there were no queer or trans people in Malaysia — a statement that sparked outcry among LGBTQ+ Malaysians.
Institutional Discrimination
The persecution of queer individuals in Malaysia has extended beyond law enforcement:
- In 2017, the Health Ministry offered cash prizes for citizens to create anti-LGBTQ+ videos.
- That same year, a Muslim group urged boycotts of Starbucks over its inclusive workplace policies.
- In 2013, a state-sponsored musical titled Asmara Songsang (Abnormal Desire) was launched to “warn youth” against homosexuality.
- In 2011, 66 teenage boys were sent to camps to learn “masculine behaviour” after being labelled “effeminate” by school authorities.
Organisations including Human Rights Watch have repeatedly condemned Malaysia’s treatment of LGBTQ+ people, including the imprisonment of trans women and media censorship of queer characters.
As Malaysia continues its clampdown, international pressure grows for the country to align its policies with basic human rights standards.
