Malaysian man ws landmark challenge agast Mlim gay sex ban | CNN

Contents:

• PENANG GAY TRAVEL
• MALAYSIA'S FIRST OPENLY GAY PASTOR TO MARRY
• GAY MALAYSIA: MORN KUALA LUMPUR
• THERE ARE NO GAY PEOPLE MALAYSIA SAYS TOURISM MISTER
• GAY MALAYSIA
• MALAYSIAN MAN WS LANDMARK CHALLENGE AGAST MLIM GAY SEX BAN
• 'THIS IS HISTORIC': MALAYSIAN MAN WS APPEAL AGAST ISLAMIC GAY SEX CHARGE

PENANG GAY TRAVEL

A much-ced 2013 study by the Pew Rearch Center found that jt 9% of Malaysians believed society should accept homosexualy.

As well as beg gay, he rells a strong sense of cultural self-ntament among Che Malaysians. But wh the advent of Facebook, he says, “I started to ‘like’ thgs, and the algorhm led me to people I may know, and I realized I uld nnect to, for example, a gay person Taiwan.

“I still believe that dream, for myself, and for thoands of stgglg gay kids our schools that were like me. Police raid a Kuala Lumpur nightclub popular wh gay men. The law allows any ntent emed “obscene, cent, false, menacg, or offensive” to be removed, a fn that has been ed to censor ternatnal LGBTQ webs, such as Pla Romeo and Gay Star News.

MALAYSIA'S FIRST OPENLY GAY PASTOR TO MARRY

I always felt safe, relaxed, and weled as a gay traveler Penang. Gay travelers Penang should rea om any public displays of affectn. Gay public affectn would surely attract negative attentn.

However, this do not mean that Malaysia isn’t safe for gay travelers.

GAY MALAYSIA: MORN KUALA LUMPUR

Gay travelers Penang nnot act as eely as they uld many wtern ci. For more rmatn about gay life Malaysia, scroll to the bottom of this gui. Even though this is a gay travel gui to Penang, remember that Malaysia is one of the strictt Mlim societi Southeast Asia.

Unfortunately, you won’t fd any gay beach Penang, but that don’t mean ’s impossible to fd other gay travelers at the beach!

While there are no officially named gay bars Penang (we’re Malaysia), dozens of bars le a road lled Lebuh Chulia playg different typ of mic.

THERE ARE NO GAY PEOPLE MALAYSIA SAYS TOURISM MISTER

Malaysia has gone so far as to advise diplomats not to brg any LGBT unterparts and even ban any pictn of homosexualy the media. Cizens of Malaysia n be tried specific Islamic urts, where sentenc for homosexual activy are ak to torture.

Jt as well, police are not patrollg the streets lookg for gay people. STORY HIGHLIGHTSHe chose Malaysia's Inpennce Day to "remd keep fightg"A Che-Malaysian, he plans a Che weddg banquet Kuala Lumpur next yearHomosexualy is prosecutable unr Malaysia's Penal Co 377Both Ngeo and his fiance's prev marriag had been wh women (CNN) -- Malaysia's first openly gay pastor has chosen Wednday, cidg wh the untry's Inpennce Day, to get married to his Amerin partner New York, barely a month after same-sex marriage beme legalized there. In Malaysia, a predomantly Mlim natn, sodomy and "rnal terurse agast the orr of nature, "-- unr which homosexualy falls -- are prosecutable unr Penal Co 377.

GAY MALAYSIA

Islamic Sharia laws Malaysia also crimalize homosexualy.

The Human Rights Commissn of Malaysia cled a requt by CNN to ment on gay marriage, wh the public affairs spokwoman llg "a very sensive issue and not a mon liftyle. "A lot of gay people, bee of prejudice and discrimatn, hi themselv a heterosexual marriage bee of social prsur, fay prsur, " Ngeo said.

A lot of gay people, bee of prejudice and discrimatn, hi themselv a heterosexual marriage--Rev. Ngeo said he had believed his wife was sent as an angel of God to get rid of his homosexualy.

MALAYSIAN MAN WS LANDMARK CHALLENGE AGAST MLIM GAY SEX BAN

There he attend the New York Cy ngregatn of Metropolan Communy Church (MCC), which was found 1968 as a mistry that weled gays, bisexuals and transgenred people. Cheng, a gay theologian and member of the MCC theologi team who had been assistant pastor when Ngeo was stgglg to e out, queer theology has veloped sce the 1950s. In his new book, "Radil Love: An Introductn to Queer Theology, " Cheng argu that radil love, "a love so extreme that dissolv our existg boundari, " cludg "gay" vs.

"Given that theology lerally means "God talk, " Cheng explaed, referrg to s Greek etymology, "queer theology n be fed as queer (that is, lbian gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer) people talkg about God. Pang was barred om the mistry of his Baptist church after revealg he was gay. "For my Church, we do not endorse same-sex marriage or gay ordatn, but we love gay people jt like any other humans.

'THIS IS HISTORIC': MALAYSIAN MAN WS APPEAL AGAST ISLAMIC GAY SEX CHARGE

We will ntue to pray for this gay pastor and his so-lled gay church that one day they will see the orthodox teachg of their fah.

"The Bible has been ed to jtify homophobia the same way has been ed to jtify slavery or the persecutn of those who disagree wh the church. Now an thor and edor of 25 books -- among them "God Lov Gays, " "Gays Love God" and "Our Stori, " a llectn of g-out stori by ethnic Che -- Ngeo is fishg his dissertatn for a doctorate theology at Boston Universy.

) He'll be teachg a urse women and genr's studi at CUNY as well as "Introductn to Gay, Lbian and Transgenr Studi" at Sat Peter's College, the only Ju llege New Jersey.

Ngeo said the tought opposn he's faced is not om "relig bigots or straight people, but gay people who have ternalized homophobia. Swimwear and unrwear targetg gay men gets boost Asia as newers enter the niche dtry. Brands such as Tight Tams and U-Touch are terg to gay men lookg for somethg more darg and lourful.

Kharti Slamah is a Malaysian transgenr human rights fenr workg on HIV/AIDS and the rights of lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr (LGBT) people. Yi Vivienne Choe, 34, is a transsexual lbian, advote and femist who watch both the LGBT movement and the ex-gay movement om a distance, wrg for different webz and blogs on her observatns; while she nsirs herself a te Woman-Born-Transsexual, she still stands for equaly and rights of all genr variant dividuals and homosexuals.

In addn to bloggg and wrg for Tilted World, a Malaysian LGBT Communy Project and US-based Ex-Gay Watch, Choe also ns TransMalaysia, a group to support Malaysian transgenr people and their fay and iends. Interviews wh morn Malaysians troduc to the shadows and reliefs of gay life that culture. There are four gay bars and two snas but where are the lbian bars?