Reverend Ouyang Wen Feng, the first and only openly gay pastor in Malaysia, is encouraging the country’s gay and lesbian people to “keep coming out” in an effort to fight LGBT discrimination.
The outspoken equal rights advocate, who is also the leader of a controversial gay-friendly ministry, hopes to empower Malaysia’s gay community to speak out against the political policies and societal attitudes that “perpetuate prejudice” against LGBT people.
According to the Associated Foreign Press (AFP), the Malaysian government openly opposes homosexuality, and strictly enforces measures to deter its people from coming out. Feng spoke of his country’s anti-gay policies in a recent interview with the AFP and suggested that the government’s efforts to contain homosexuality are not only unacceptable, but are altogether ineffective. He stated, “When society discriminates against gay people, you only push gay people into the closet. When gay people stay in the closet, people don’t know what is gay or homosexuality and because of ignorance they keep discriminating and that will perpetuate prejudice.”
Feng noted that, in order to put an end to discriminatory attitudes and behavior, gays and lesbians must take it upon themselves to change the way the Malaysian society views the LGBT community. “Gay people should keep coming out and straight people who are okay with homosexuals should also come out to say publicly that being gay is okay — ‘I’m okay with my gay friends’,” said Feng.
He also urged gay Malaysians to show their “true faces and tell them who we are” in hopes of altering the local community’s perceptions of gay people.
Feng, who currently lives in the United States with his soon-to-be-husband, frequently visits Malaysia to promote LGBT rights and community awareness.
