Matt Lucas cosies up to Matty Healy and quips 'he just can't stop kissing boys!' - after The 1975 were BANNED in Malaysia due to singer's on-stage peck with male bandmate
Matt Lucas cosied up to Matty Healy and quipped that 'he just can't stop kissing boys' as he took a playful swipe at The 1975's recent controversy in Malaysia.
The openly gay comedian, 49, shared a snap to his Instagram on Sunday with the Heart Out hitmaker, 34, - after The 1975 were banned in the country after frontman Matty kissed his male bandmate on stage.
Matty slammed Malaysia's anti-gay laws in a profanity-filled speech at the Good Vibes music festival in Kuala Lumpur - which has now been completely cancelled -, before kissing bassist Ross MacDonald.
Homosexuality is illegal in Malaysia and laws criminalising sodomy are punishable by imprisonment. LGBTQ people in the country also face regular discrimination by authorities and rights groups have been warned of growing intolerance.
And Matt weighed in on the controversy with the new picture with a playful take on the recent incident.
![](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/07/24/09/73543615-12330815-image-a-42_1690186529348.jpg)
![Poking fun: Matt Lucas cosied up to Matty Healy and quipped that 'he just can't stop kissing boys' as he took a playful swipe at The 1975's recent controversy in Malaysia](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/07/24/09/73543615-12330815-image-a-44_1690186545828.jpg)
Poking fun: Matt Lucas cosied up to Matty Healy and quipped that 'he just can't stop kissing boys' as he took a playful swipe at The 1975's recent controversy in Malaysia
![Incident: The openly gay comedian, 49, shared a snap to his Instagram on Sunday with the Heart Out hitmaker, 34, - after The 1975 were banned in the country after frontman Matty kissed his male bandmate on stage (pictured)](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/07/24/09/73500679-12330815-Malaysia_cancelled_a_music_festival_on_Saturday_after_The_1975_f-a-45_1690186612244.jpg)
Incident: The openly gay comedian, 49, shared a snap to his Instagram on Sunday with the Heart Out hitmaker, 34, - after The 1975 were banned in the country after frontman Matty kissed his male bandmate on stage (pictured)
Matt quipped in his caption as Matty puckered up next to him: 'I guess @trumanblack just can't stop kissing the boys.' Matty then liked the post.
It comes after Matty hit back at hardline Malaysian officials who banned him from performing in the country after the kiss to protest their anti-LGBT laws.
The 1975 have now cancelled two upcoming tour dates in Asia.
The English pop-rock group announced that performances at the We The Fest in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Sunday and at the Taipei Music Centre in Taiwan on Tuesday will not go ahead before their American tour kicks off next month.
On Sunday Matty also posted a series of throwback snaps with bassist MacDonald to imply a very close relationship between the two of them and poking fun at the ban.
The outspoken singer responded to the ban and the cancellation of the festival, writing: 'Ok well why don't you try and not make out with Ross for 20 years. Not as easy as it looks.'
He also shared a video of a speech by author and speaker Christopher Hitchens in the midst of the AIDS crisis, in which he said: 'Homosexuality is not just a form of sex - it's a form of love.'
Matty had also appeared to edit a picture of his classic 'Men In Black' style hat onto a map of Malaysia to once again snub the authorities' decision.
![Decision: The Good Vibes Festival issued a statement after the kiss storm, announcing the cancellation of the rest of the event](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/07/24/09/73502279-12330815-The_Good_Vibes_Festival_issued_a_statement_after_the_kiss_storm_-a-46_1690186685912.jpg)
Decision: The Good Vibes Festival issued a statement after the kiss storm, announcing the cancellation of the rest of the event
![Rules: The 1975, which consists of Healy (centre right), bassist MacDonald (left), lead guitarist Adam Hann (right) and drummer George Daniel, have also been banned from performing in Malaysia](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/07/24/09/73501243-12330815-The_1975_which_consists_of_Healy_centre_right_bassist_MacDonald_-a-47_1690186689623.jpg)
Rules: The 1975, which consists of Healy (centre right), bassist MacDonald (left), lead guitarist Adam Hann (right) and drummer George Daniel, have also been banned from performing in Malaysia
![Harsh: Malaysian Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil condemned the kiss and called it a 'very rude act'. He then cancelled the rest of the three-day festival](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/07/24/09/73501987-12330815-Malaysian_Communications_and_Digital_Minister_Fahmi_Fadzil_conde-a-48_1690186691299.jpg)
Harsh: Malaysian Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil condemned the kiss and called it a 'very rude act'. He then cancelled the rest of the three-day festival
He then posted a screenshot of his name trending on Twitter to Mad World by Tears For Fears.
In the clip posted by Healy, Hitchens said: 'The brothers and sister of our society who have succumbed to that appalling disease did not die of sex or of their sexuality.
'Remember, homosexuality is not just a form of sex - it's a form of love.
'If you can't live with it, I will think you're the poorer.'
The late Christopher Hitchens - the brother of Mail on Sunday columnist Peter Hitchens - was a polemical author and critic before his death from oesophageal cancer aged 62 in 2011.
He wrote 18 books on faith, culture, politics and literature including God Is Not Great and Love, Poverty and War.
A self-described anti-theist, Hitchens saw religion as harmful. He was a proponent of gun rights and, crucially, same-sex rights.
Later in life, his politics were said to have moved further to the right.
In his speech before the controversial and passionate kiss, Healy said: 'I do not see the point of inviting The 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with.'
He added: 'I made a mistake. When we were booking shows, I wasn't looking into it.'
'Unfortunately you don't get a set of loads of uplifting songs because I'm f****** furious and that's not fair on you, because you're not representative of your government because you are young people, and I'm sure a lot of you are gay and progressive and cool.'
He later abruptly ended the set, saying: 'All right, we gotta go. We just got banned from Kuala Lumpur.'
A source close to the band told MailOnline over the weekend: 'Matty has a long-time record of advocating for the LGBTQ+ community and the band wanted to stand up for their LGBTQ+ fans and the community.'
The 1975, which consists of Healy, bassist MacDonald, lead guitarist Adam Hann and drummer George Daniel, have also been banned from performing in Malaysia, according to a government committee that oversees performances from foreigners.
The on-stage protest was not a first for Healy, who kissed a male fan at a 2019 concert in the United Arab Emirates, which also has tough anti-LGBTQ laws.
Vowing swift action early Saturday, Malaysian Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil posted a news report about the kiss and called it a 'very rude act'.
He later ordered the 'immediate cancellation' of the three-day festival after meeting with organisers.
'Never touch the sensitivities of the community, especially those that are against the manners and values of the local culture,' he said in a subsequent tweet.
In a statement also posted to Twitter, the festival confirmed the cancellation had been at the direction of the communications ministry 'following the controversial conduct and remarks made by UK artist Matty Healy'.
'The Ministry has underlined its unwavering stance against any parties that challenge, ridicule, or contravene Malaysian laws,' the statement added.
Meanwhile Matty's mother, Loose Women star Denise Welch, proudly tweeted: 'He's my son,' alongside a rainbow emoji in response to the now-viral kiss video.
Friday's incident sparked uproar on social media, including among some members of the LGBT community, who accused Healy of 'performative activism' and said his action was likely to expose the community to more stigma and discrimination.
'Matt Healy undoubtedly just made it worse for queer Malaysians who actually live here, and have to face the consequences because we all know our politicians are gonna use this to further their agenda,' Carmen Rose, a Malaysian drag queen and performer, said on Twitter.
Another Twitter user commented: 'This is insane 'cause he can just go back to the US or UK and live comfortably, but the local queer community will now have to suffer from potential repercussions.'
A third said: 'He just put so much harm and danger to the community he so calls "cares" about. This statement didn’t help anyone but himself and his image.
![Words: Healy, who recently made headlines for dating Taylor Swift, has been known to protest on stage before (pictured at the Brit awards in 2019)](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/07/24/09/73500801-12330815-Healy_who_recently_made_headlines_for_dating_Taylor_Swift_has_be-a-49_1690186756008.jpg)
Words: Healy, who recently made headlines for dating Taylor Swift, has been known to protest on stage before (pictured at the Brit awards in 2019)
![Lineup: The Kid Laroi and The Strokes were due to headline the remaining two days of the festival in Kuala Lumpur](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/07/24/09/73502897-12330815-Lineup_The_Kid_Laroi_and_The_Strokes_were_due_to_headline_the_re-m-51_1690186800883.jpg)
Lineup: The Kid Laroi and The Strokes were due to headline the remaining two days of the festival in Kuala Lumpur
'You guys are so blinded by this white saviour performative activism. Please use your brains. Respect your fans. We didn’t deserve this.'
But others rushed to his defence, instead criticising the law in Malaysia for being so strict in the first place.
Luigi Grosu said: 'Blaming him for the cancellation of the festival is out of place. Why not blame the homophobic government of Malaysia instead? Make sure you call out the right party for once and put your personal issues aside.'
The Good Vibes festival was scheduled to run through the weekend, with US band The Strokes set to headline on Sunday and The Kid Laroi also to perform.
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