Malaysia’s new morality law prohibits the wearing of any “LGBTQ related” products, and even a rainbow watch could land you in jail.
In Malaysia, homosexuality is a crime punishable by high fines and long prison terms – as long as 20 years. It has historically been rarely enforced at the legal level, but the laws have been used to justify a shocking amount of violence against LGBTQ people. With rising conservative attitudes among those in power in recent years, enforcement is beginning to land more heavily.
In May, Malaysian authorities raised Swatch shops, a popular Swiss watch brand, all over the country. Swatch had just relieved its Pride Collection, a series of watches which come in the colors of the rainbow and have a small rainbow clasp which faces the wearer’s wrist. Because the watches had “LGBTQ connotations,” 172 of them were seized to be destroyed, and the brand was banned from sale in the country.
“Swatch products have been banned as they are detrimental, or possibly detrimental, to morality, the public interest and national interest by promoting, supporting and normalizing the LGBTQ movement which is not accepted by the general public of Malaysia,” the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement on Thursday.
The ban comes under the Printing Presses and Publications Act, the ministry added.
“The Malaysian government states again its commitment to ensuring public safety and peace by monitoring and controlling all forms of publications to curb the spread of elements, teachings and movements that contradict the local socio-cultural setup,” it said.
“The LGBTQ community in Malaysia has suffered so much abuse from the government as well as the opposition from being used as a political punching bag,” Phil Robertson, the Deputy Asia Director of Human Rights Watch, told CNN.
“In this situation, simply wearing a watch could result in prison sentences and abuse. It’s ludicrous (and tellingly) comes right on the eve of state elections,” Robertson added.