KUALA LUMPUR, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- A Malaysian newspaper has sparked strong criticism from the public after it published a biased checklist on certain traits of the LGBT (Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender) community.
The Sinar Harian daily newspaper recently published an article suggesting that homosexual men like to wear tight shirts to show six packs and to go to the gym to meet people rather than do workout, and that gay men were easy to identify because of their beards and branded clothing.
Moreover, the article labelled lesbians as tending to hug each other, holding hands, belittling men and staying alone.
The article has aroused a lot of media attention and has sparked criticism from LGBT rights activists.
Arwind Kumar, a Malaysian social media star, lashed out at the article in a video uploaded to Youtube on Saturday, saying, "It's so disappointing to see how people actually waste time posting articles like this on newspapers instead of spreading actual awareness, actual education" about the LGBT community.
"There are much more important issues in this country which need to be addressed," he added.
Kumar's video has been viewed by nearly 30,000 people and got more than 4,000 likes.
Homosexuality is illegal in Malaysia and could carry a maximum sentence of 20 years.
An 2013 Pew Research Center opinion survey showed that 86 percent of the Malaysian population believe homosexuality should be rejected by society.
The official religion of Malaysia is Islam. According to the 2010 Population Distribution and Basic Demographic Characteristic Report issued by the Department of Statistics, 61.3 percent of the country's population practices Islam.
Last year, the release of Disney's animated classic Beauty and the Beast was postponed in the country due to a gay moment in the film, reported the BBC. But the Malaysian Censorship Board finally relented after Disney refused to make a cut.
