Malaysia’s Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs), Dr. Zulkifli Hasan, told Parliament that work-related stress is among the factors that can contribute to what he described as involvement in the “LGBT lifestyle.”
In a written parliamentary reply, Zulkifli cited a 2017 study by Sulaiman et al., saying social influences, sexual experiences, work-related stress, lack of religious practice, and other personal factors may contribute to LGBT-related behaviour. He said the study concluded that a combination of these factors could influence such behaviour.
The minister was responding to a question from Datuk Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff, who requested updated data on LGBT trends in Malaysia, including age groups, ethnic composition, and factors contributing to an increase in LGBT cases.
Zulkifli said the government does not have official statistics on the country’s LGBT population, adding that comprehensive data on the number of LGBT individuals in Malaysia remains limited.
His remarks prompted criticism from human rights groups and on social media. Critics said the comments could reinforce stigma against LGBTQ+ people in Malaysia, where same-sex relations are criminalized.
Major medical and mental health organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Psychological Association (APA), state that sexual orientation is a natural aspect of human diversity and is not caused by stress, trauma, or environmental factors.
