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Rakyat Post
21-07-2025
- Rakyat Post
NGOs: Kelantan 'Gay Sex Party' Was Actually A HIV Outreach Program
Subscribe to our FREE A scandal involving allegations of a 'gay sex party' rocked the ultra-conservative northern state of Kelantan recently. According to news reports, police raided a bungalow in the village of Kampung Kemumin last month and found a group of men believed to be part of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community attending a dinner party. The information was only disclosed last Saturday (19 July) by local authorities, who reportedly found condoms and HIV medication at the site. Kelantan police chief Datuk Mohd Mamat Yusoff said in a statement that the raid involving more than 100 individuals from the LGBT community was based on strong evidence, New Straits Times However, only around 20 men were reported to have been arrested at the scene, as the police arrived when the event had just ended. NGOs deny illicit activities at the event, saying it was a health outreach programme A coalition of 31 non-government organisations issued a joint statement to refute claims that the event was a 'gay sex party', and insisted that it was in fact a legitimate HIV awareness and health outreach programme. The joint statement, published by LGBT rights group Justice for Sisters (JFS) and endorsed by Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram), Women's Aid Organisation (WAO), and Amnesty International Malaysia, among many others, called for a correction of misinformation by Kelantan police. 'JFS together with 21 groups and 9 healthcare professionals call on the Kelantan police to check the accuracy and veracity of the facts shared with the media in connection with an alleged gay party that the police broke up last month, in June 2025,' the group said in an Instagram post. According to the joint statement, none of the participants were providing sexual services or were there to provide sexual services. Instead, they attended the event to seek sexual health information and tests. How important is sexual health education and information? Sexual health education is something adults and youth should not brush off. Proper information on the subject, if distributed legitimately with professional guidance, can benefit many people. For one, it can teach safe sex practices, including the use of condoms and contraception methods. This can help prevent and reduce sexually transmitted diseases (STD) and unwanted pregnancies. Such programmes, if hosted by certified medical practitioners, can also provide accurate, age-appropriate, science-based information. If group programmes are not your thing, you can find many clinics and NGOs out there who provide Knowledge is power, and every individual must have power over their own bodies. Share your thoughts with us via TRP's . Get more stories like this to your inbox by signing up for our newsletter.
The Star
19-07-2025
- Health
- The Star
Health event was misrepresented as 'gay party', say rights group
PETALING JAYA: A recent police raid in Kelantan, initially labelled as a "gay party," was actually a health event, claims rights group Justice for Sisters. The group is urging the Kelantan police to verify and correct any misinformation they disseminated regarding the event. The incident, which was widely reported, sparked quick discriminatory remarks against LGBTQ individuals from various quarters, increasing fears of further discrimination and marginalisation. "Justice for Sisters' documentation of the event is completely different from the police's account," the group stated. According to the group, the event was a health initiative providing sexual health and HIV-related information, condoms, and voluntary testing to promote safer sexual practices. Healthcare providers were present to deliver health talks. By midnight, the event was winding down, with about 20 individuals awaiting their test results. "None of them provided sexual services at the event or were there to provide sexual services. The attendees were at the event to seek sexual health information and tests," the group clarified. Contrary to police claims, no attendees paid a fee to attend, nor was the event promoted on social media. Justice for Sisters also noted that although police tested the remaining attendees for drug use, all results were negative. However, three individuals were arrested for possessing intimate content, which the group maintains are trumped-up charges. The raid has heightened fears among LGBTQ individuals about seeking health services or attending similar events in the future. The group highlighted that police have generally refrained from raiding health events targeting marginalised groups, as such actions counter public health goals. Expressing concern about this re-emerging trend, Justice for Sisters urged the Health Ministry to investigate. "Such raids and threats to health centres have a deterring effect on health-seeking behaviour among marginalised populations," they said. The group also documented human rights violations by the police during the raid, including privacy breaches and degrading treatment of attendees. They called for police to adopt a compassionate and professional approach to ensure the rights of marginalised groups are protected.
New Straits Times
19-07-2025
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Police defend raid as NGOs dispute LGBT event claims
KOTA BARU: Kelantan police chief Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mamat today said the raid on a gathering involving over 100 individuals from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community was based on strong evidence. "Let them say what they want, but we the police have the evidence that led to the operation," he said in a brief WhatsApp message to the New Straits Times. Mohd Yusoff's remarks come after a coalition of 31 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and individuals rejected police claims that the mid-June raid targeted a "gay sex party". They insisted that the event was, in fact, a legitimate HIV awareness and health outreach session. In a joint statement yesterday, the coalition dismissed the police's narrative surrounding the raid in Kota Baru last month, which had been widely reported in local media. They said documentation by Justice for Sisters (JFS) clearly contradicted the police's version of events. "Contrary to allegations that it was a 'same-sex sex party', the programme was actually a health event," the statement said. "It provided sexual health and HIV-related information, condoms, and voluntary testing to encourage safer sexual practices." The event, which began at 8pm, included a health talk conducted in collaboration with healthcare providers, including doctors. By midnight, the programme was winding down, although around 20 participants were reportedly still at the venue awaiting their test results. Meanwhile, JFS called on the police to correct misinformation related to the alleged "gay party". "We urge Kelantan police to verify the accuracy of the information shared with the media about the raid on the alleged gay party in June 2025," the group said. "The incident drew swift and discriminatory remarks against LGBT people from both state and non-state actors, fuelling fear of further discrimination, violence and marginalisation." JFS maintained that its own documentation painted a vastly different picture from that presented by police. "Among the key inaccuracies was the allegation that the event was a 'gay sex party' — in reality, it was a health-focused initiative." The statement also clarified that none of the attendees were there to provide sexual services. "Participants were present to access sexual health information and testing. The claim that they paid to attend the event is false — it was a free, community-based health initiative aimed at increasing access to healthcare for marginalised groups." JFS further disputed police claims that the event was promoted on social media. "This too is inaccurate," it added.
Malaysiakini
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Malaysiakini
'It was a health event,' NGOs hit back at cops over raid in Kelantan
A coalition of 31 NGOs and individuals has pushed back against police claims that a recent raid in Kelantan targeted a 'gay sex party', insisting instead that the event was a legitimate HIV awareness and health outreach session. In a joint statement yesterday, the group - which includes Justice for Sisters, Suaram, Women's Aid Organisation, PSM, and Amnesty International Malaysia - described the June programme...
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Malaysian police arrest more than dozen men in raid of 'gay party'
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) -Malaysian authorities arrested more than a dozen men in the northeastern state of Kelantan last month during a late night raid of a "gay party", a police official said on Thursday. Homosexuality is a crime in Muslim-majority Malaysia, and rights groups have warned of growing intolerance towards lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Kelantan state police chief Mohd Yusoff Mamat said police arrested 20 men after responding to a public tip-off and conducting surveillance of a rented property in the state capital Kota Bharu in June. "During questioning, they admitted to being part of a gay group," he told a press conference. Mohd Yusoff said although authorities found no evidence that sexual activities had occurred during the gathering, police discovered condoms and HIV medication on the premises. Police charged three of the men for possession of homosexual pornographic material on their mobile phones, Mohd Yusoff said. But authorities could not prosecute the other men as there were no specific laws or physical evidence to charge them with, he added. "We are worried about such behaviour... We will continue to monitor the movement of gay groups," he said. The LGBTQ community has faced increasing scrutiny in Malaysia, where sodomy is a crime and Islamic sharia laws are in place banning same-sex acts and cross-dressing. The multi-ethnic, multi-faith country has a dual-track legal system with Islamic laws for Muslims running alongside civil laws. Authorities halted a music festival in 2023, after the frontman of British pop band The 1975 kissed a male bandmate onstage and criticised Malaysia's anti-LGBTQ laws. In 2018, two women were caned in a courtroom watched by dozens of people after they were convicted of attempting lesbian sex. Rights groups Justice for Sisters and Amnesty International said LGBTQ content accounted for almost half of all banned publications in Malaysia between 2020 and May this year.
