Gay men like going to a gym to ogle other men, and lesbians like hugging and holding hands? That's what a Malaysian newspaper says. Sinar Harian, one of the leading newspapers in the country, published a list of characteristics that it said could be used to identify gays and lesbians.
The article features pointers and talks about identifying the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, The Guardian reported. According to the article, gay men love beards and even like going to the gym to check out other men. One of the pointers also says that their eyes light up when they see handsome men.
The article also gives pointers to identify lesbians. According to the article, lesbians tend to hug each other, hold hands, hate men and even belittle them.
On Monday, the article drew criticism and was mocked by several activists, who said lives were being put at risk. In Malaysia, homosexuality is illegal and punishable by up to 20 years in jail, and thus the latest article has triggered fear among everyone in the country.
Arwind Kumar, one of Malaysia's biggest social media stars, slammed the leading newspaper and said its article could "take away lives".
"There are much more important issues in this country which need to be addressed," he said in a video uploaded on YouTube. "If you really want to educate society then explain to them the traits of a pedophile, a molester, a murderer, a kidnapper, people who actually endanger the lives of others. How the hell does a gay person endanger your life?
"I know a lot of priests, I know a lot of ustads [Islamic scholars], I know a lot of really religious people who love keeping beards. Are you trying to say they are gay? That's how stupid this is," he said.
