Jackson Yee tries to wrap his head around the meaning of that infamous guideline unleashed (or not) by the Ministry of Education.

Upon reading the news article entitled ‘Govt endorses guide on how to spot gays‘, I was really startled. It has been some time since the Malaysian Ministry of Education (MOE) endorsed bogus ‘guidelines’ or similar kinds of statements in accordance to the fallacy of truth.

Notwithstanding the fact that the guideline in question is funny, I am actually receptive of it. Firstly, we are talking merely guidelines. Guidelines mean a proposed series of hints. They do not necessarily encompass the entire gay community in terms of the characteristics of its respective members. Secondly, I personally think that this specific guideline, to some extent, contains some truths, as the hottest gays are always publicized. Leaving us to deduce, perhaps, that the ‘regular’ gays have not gained enough spotlight (a possible perception of ignorant groups). Thirdly, I think this guideline serves as a good laugh for experts in the field of gender and sexuality.

However, the intention behind MOE’s publishing of guidelines for ‘spotting a gay’  borders on maliciousness. It has the potential to drag gays out into the public eye so that there may be pressure to subject them to counseling or so-called ‘reparative therapy’. Again, it is funny to see how ignorant the MOE could be to assume gays are malleable to their wishes. On the other hand, for a gay person, the intention of spotting another gay is presumably to seek a sense of togetherness, security and warmth in the face of threats posed almost every fortnight to the gay community in Malaysia.

Ok, it's sort of v-necked so am I sort of gay? |Source: http://bit.ly/O7YI3k
Maybe if I pose like this, the gayness of my tee will increase exponentially? | Source: http://bit.ly/NwDMBI

Recently, several Members of Parliament have been expressing their disgust for and hatred against ‘sinful minorities’ – basically, the gay community – in the media. This provocative peddling of sinful ideology and propagation of false perceptions against the gay community serve as a warning to those who fit the categories marked out in the guideline. Suggesting, in the process, that gays who are obese, extremely skinny, or of a size that does not fall within the guideline, are safe and will not be easily targeted. Plus, the game level of a gay hitting on another gay increases as the gays who do not fall within the guideline would as such be ‘super straight-acting’ and thus pushed into the crippling shadow of straightness.

Let it be said again that it is the MOE who endorses the ‘guideline’ despite subsequent efforts to distance itself from it. Regardless, I would have to say that I am a graduate of the system but I am grateful that I am a survivor of the same system. Most of the time, MOE has been ridiculing itself by breeding hatred and disgust against gays for a myriad different reasons. Imagine if the members of the MOE had travelled extensively to other countries (which I doubt they have) to compare the ‘symptoms’ on their list against external gay cues in other societies – I am sure they would find themselves trapped in a pool of gayness they cannot describe with mere words.

In addition to all the drama of gay threats, the recent letter published by the Vice-President of the Muslim Lawyers Association of Malaysia – Azril Mohd Amin – articulated the possible ‘serious threats’ and ‘consequences’ posed to the majority of Malaysians should we adopt the very ‘Western idea’ of endorsing and giving rights to the gay community. All his arguments were premised on supposed Islamic principles. It would be rather interesting to see Muslim gays taking up the challenge to rebut his arguments on the premise of realism and science. As for me, I just cannot fathom his complex arguments against what is fundamentally a couple of loving human beings.

In a nutshell, I really hope that the MOE will publish more scientifically proven and professionally researched details on gays or the LGBT community,  not perceptions and observations that are themselves based upon preconceptions and misperceptions of this group. Besides, any author intending to or who have been propagating hatred and discrimination against any minority group should be strictly warned against, or reprimanded for, such unwarranted and unethical practices.

 

One for the road: Gotta love that baby blue trim, right? | Source: http://bit.ly/Qvlj6m

(Featured image accompanying article on main page, courtesy of Allie Kenny, source: http://bit.ly/NwDMBI)

Jackson Yee the chambeeeeee. Interested in advancing LGBT rights in Malaysia.

4 replies on “Learned How to Spot a Gay Yet?”

  1. Auw! hahaha
    Nice to be a straight man
    To be love by a woman
    To have a family
    Sons and daughters
    Why this kind of stupid people (gay) exist?

Comments are closed.