Going To The Gym Is a Sign of Being Gay, Says This Malaysian Newspaper

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Going To The Gym Is a Sign of Being Gay, Says This Malaysian Newspaper

In a timely reminder that not everywhere around the world is as sophisticated as us here in Ozzyland, a Malaysian newspaper has published a gay-spotter’s checklist that’ll help gay dudes work out who is and who isn’t up for some gay sexytime.

The checklist, published in Malaysian daily newspaper Sinar Harian, is pretty confusing.

It’s debatable whether it’s genuinely trying to be helpful or whether there are ulterior motives at play.

The fact it ran alongside a piece featuring an Islamic Cleric preaching homophobic hate-speech only makes things more confusing.

Turns out Malaysia has mindlessly dumb tabloids too. Credit: Sinar Harian

Turns out Malaysia has mindlessly dumb tabloids too. Credit: Sinar Harian

Homosexuality is still illegal in predominantly Muslim Malaysia, but that hasn’t stopped the LGBT community from growing there. So, yep, that’s another confusing point in the article.

Bearing all of that in mind, I think the best way to make sense of the checklist is to use it as fuel for banter. If you have mates who have beards or are gym junkies, then you’re gonna love this.

The gay-spotting checklist starts off by saying, [They] like going to the gym but not for exercising, but to ogle others.” This is one of those comments that are so stupid and ill-informed you can’t help but laugh at it.

As funny as it is though, it pales in comparison to this one, “women who talk disparagingly about men are clearly lesbians.” You can almost hear the hair on the back of feminist necks rising.

The article in question. Credit: Sinar Harian

The article in question. Credit: Sinar Harian

The article also claimed dudes with beards or branded clothes are probably gay, and in a final piece of hilarity, it said you can tell a gay dude by the fact their eyes light up when they see a piece of beefcake.

Of course, as mentioned above, it’s so ridiculous it has to be a parody – which poses its own problematic issues. And it has to be said that it’s not been a universally popular piece in Malaysia either.

Arwind Kumar wrote the article off as pretty stupid. Credit: Arwind Kumar

Arwind Kumar wrote the article off as pretty stupid. Credit: Arwind Kumar

One social media star said, “I know a lot of priests, I know a lot ustads [Islamic scholars], I know a lot of really, really religious people who love keeping beards.

Are you trying to say they are gay? That’s how stupid this whole article sounds.”

There you have it. Malaysia is still way behind the times when it comes to accepting and acknowledging gays and lesbians as real people and not caricatures, but at least I now have some new banter when my mates tell me they’re going to the gym.