M'sian Man Slammed By Thai Twitter Users For Criticising Their Pride Month Celebration
"This is Bangkok, not Bangi."
By Aqasha Nalani — 06 Jun 2023, 12:36 PM
The month of June is dedicated to celebrating and recognising the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer+ (LGBTQ+) community worldwide
This historical month is celebrated by many countries that accept the LGBTQ+ community, including the United States (USA), Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Taiwan, and Thailand.
However, Pride Month is still not recognised or celebrated in Malaysia, with many Malaysians remaining vocally opposed to the idea due to cultural taboos.
One Malaysian man recently shared his thoughts on the Pride Month celebration that he observed while he was in Bangkok, Thailand.
"In Bangkok, there are many malls celebrating Pride Month, but these places have drag queens and transwomen performing and dancing in sexy clothes in front of the public," he wrote on Twitter.
"It's extremely inappropriate for kids to watch, maybe that's their 'pride'," he added.
He went on to say that locals did not bother stopping by to watch the drag shows, and implied that the celebration was a public nuisance because it is held in open spaces.
The man also attached a photo of a mural promoting the Pride Month celebration held at MBK Centre, a shopping mall in Bangkok.
Some Malaysian netizens were outraged by the man's criticism of Thailand's acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community, while others defended him
One Twitter user called out the man for feeling "entitled" towards one of the most "LGBTQ+ affirming" countries in Southeast Asia.
"Bangkok has been celebrating Pride since 2006. The new Thailand government has even pledged to recognise same-sex marriage," they explained.
"This is Bangkok, not Bangi," they added.
"Sir, you are in Malaysia. Mind your own business," wrote another.
Another user defended the man, claiming that the LGBTQ+ community doesn't actually support free speech.
"LGBTQ+ activists are strong believers of free speech. Ironically, when it comes to criticism against them, the critics are cancelled and labelled as hate speech," they wrote.
Twitter users from other countries also joined in on the conversation, with the majority of them disagreeing with the Malaysian man
One Thai user pointed out that despite Buddhism being the main religion of Thailand, it is still a secular country where each person has the right to express their own beliefs.
"This is a small chunk of diversity we Thais uphold. You can't use your religious beliefs to insult other people," they commented.
"I find it absolutely hilarious how Malaysians will constantly complain about people not respecting their culture," wrote another user.
"But here they are going to other countries and trying to impose their beliefs on them," they added.
Another user simply replied to the man with a picture of a monk showing the rock sign towards those who were celebrating Pride Month.
Meanwhile, one Indonesian user expressed displeasure with how Malaysians have criticised the cultures of other countries.
"Previously, they talked about traditional Indonesian weddings and kebaya kartini. Now, they're criticising Pride Month celebration in Thailand," they wrote.
"The world doesn't revolve around you. Just stay in a cave," they added.
