In July, young Malaysians told the BBC that they believed Healy’s actions reflected the West’s patronizing attitude towards Asia.
Others expressed concern that the high-profile incident could be used to intensify LGBTQ+ repression in Malaysia, where homosexuality is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
In his speech, Healy cited the country’s strict laws against the LGBTQ+ community and said Malaysian authorities briefly jailed the group.
The group’s frontman said that the statements about this kiss as just a theatrical gesture of support are unnecessary, because it is the performer’s job to perform theatrically.
Healy said event organizers can’t invite speakers and expect them to censor themselves.
He told the Dallas audience: “It was to be expected: if you invite dozens of Western performers to your country, they will bring their Western values with them.”
The singer concluded by referring to the strict laws in some parts of the US, telling the American audience that critics of the group’s actions in Kuala Lumpur would be deeply disappointed if The 1975 expressed acceptance of Mississippi’s views on abortion or transgender laws.
This isn’t the first time Healy has addressed online criticism of The 1975 during a concert.
On stage in Los Angeles last week, the singer apologized for actions that hurt several people.
Earlier this year, Healy mocked American rapper Ice Spice on a broadcast, mimicking Asian and Hawaiian accents and asking the presenters to mimic Japanese concentration camp workers.
During his performance at the Hollywood Bowl, Healy said that he has performed in a very exaggerated way, in various places such as on the air and in print, often mistakenly trying to project a kind of 21st-century rock star image.
“Because some of my actions have hurt a number of people, I apologize to those people and promise to do better in the future,” he told the audience.
“You see, as an artist I want to create an environment where not everything I do is taken literally.”
2023-10-12 21:03:15
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