‘LGBT people have rights, but they must follow the law’

of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual (LGBT) community must abide by the country’s laws.

And their fundamental rights would be protected in line with the Federal Constitution, just as local cultures and Islam as the official religion.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa told the Dewan Rakyat yesterday that the government had taken into acwith count public concerns over the spread of the LGBT culture.

Mujahid, who is in charge of Islamic affairs, said regardless of how one felt about the LGBT lifestyle, the community must not be discriminated against, such as in the workplace.

“Any discrimination will only push them into the sex industry,” he said, adding that the government was committed to helping them escape the illicit trade.

He was responding to a question from Datuk Ahmad Nazlan Idris (BN-Jerantut) about steps the government would take to tackle the spread of the LGBT culture, which purportedly went against the Federal Constitution because it was not in line Islam as the official religion.

In response to an additional question from Nazlan over allegations that there were some among the LGBT community using social media to propagate the lifestyle, Mujahid said existing laws were available to tackle the matter if there were elements of immoral activities. He cited state enactments forbidding Muslim men from dressing up as women. He said that the government was constantly engaging other stakeholders via seminars to tackle the issue. In response to an additional question from Hasanuddin Mohd Yunus (PH-Hulu Langat), Mujahid said the steps also helped to tackle other sexual issues in society.