Samsul Said
Malaysian authorities have defended their decision to host a contest for teens on how to “prevent” homosexuality, despite warnings from activists that it will encourage hate crimes. The contest, announced by the country’s health ministry, urges participants to create videos on various topics, including “gender identity disorder.” The videos must illustrate the “consequences” of being gay, lesbian, transsexual, or simply a tomboy, and show how to “prevent, control and seek help” for LGBT urges, according to the contest’s guidelines. While critics have condemned the competition and warned it will enable discrimination and violence against the country’s LGBT community, the health ministry stood by its decision on Saturday. Lokman Hakim Sulaiman, the ministry’s deputy director-general of health, told Reuters the contest is meant “purely to tap knowledge and creativity of adolescents on sexual and reproductive health related matters.” It “does not intend to create discrimination to any particular group,” he said. The contest, which began Thursday and runs until August 31, offers a top prize of almost $1,000. Homosexuality is widely seen as an illness to be cured in the predominantly Muslim Southeast Asian country, and gay sex is a criminal offense. Authorities have previously held seminars and publicized guidelines for parents on how to spot signs of homosexuality, with warnings about boys wearing tight V-neck shirts and girls preferring to sleep among other girls.