Carle Jasmin (Image : IA / Gay Globe)
Believe It or Not: Erroneous Beliefs Still Persist in 2026
Believe it or not, even in 2026, there are people on the planet who believe that masturbation causes deafness or that watching too much television causes impotence. There is even a Malaysian Parliament minister who recently declared that stress causes homosexuality.
A Malaysian Minister at the Center of the Controversy on Stress and the LGBT Community
According to the media outlet NDTV World, written by journalist Ritu Singh: “A Malaysian minister sparked controversy after suggesting that work-related stress is a factor that leads people to ‘become involved in the LGBT community.’ His remarks, made in a written parliamentary reply, have drawn widespread ridicule and criticism from citizens and human rights advocates. According to the South China Morning Post, Dr. Zulkifli Hasan, Malaysia’s Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs), listed work stress, social influences, and lack of religious practice as the primary contributors to what he termed ‘LGBT-related behavior.’
‘Societal influence, sexual experiences, work stress, and other personal factors fall under this category [of possible causes],’ Hasan said in a written parliamentary reply to a question from Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff, a lawmaker from the opposition Islamist party PAS.
The minister’s comments came amid a parliamentary inquiry into LGBT trends, covering age, ethnicity, and contributing factors. He also said that from 2022 to 2025, a total of 135 cases related to LGBT activities were recorded as arrests or prosecutions. It should be noted that same-sex relations remain illegal in Malaysia.”
The Truth of the Matter: Reality or Simple Farce?
But is this case confirmed, or is it just a simple farce spread by fake media?
Yes, the story being discussed is real in the sense that a Malaysian political figure indeed made a remark on the subject, but it is neither a scientific truth nor validated information: it is a controversial statement that sparked strong reactions and online mockery rather than an established fact.
Details of the Ministerial Statement on Stress and Sexual Orientation
Here is what happened:
A Malaysian minister — Dr. Zulkifli Hasan, Minister of Religious Affairs in the Prime Minister’s team — responded to a parliamentary question citing several factors, including work stress, social influences, and lack of religious practice as possible contributors to behaviors he called “related to LGBT.” This response included the idea that work-related stress could make someone gay.
Public Reactions and Criticism of This Statement
The reaction was immediate:
- Internet users and observers responded with sarcasm and mockery, pointing out that this makes no logical or scientific sense.
- Human rights organizations and experts criticized the remark as unsupported, offensive, and incorrect.
- The world’s leading medical and psychological authorities do not recognize that stress or the environment “make” someone gay; sexual orientation is considered a natural characteristic, not a consequence of external pressure or stress.
And, with the utmost seriousness, some wondered if, with his workload and parliamentary stress, the minister himself had not yet become gay. The minister declined to respond.
Response from LGBTQ Rights Defenders to the Misinformation
“This misinformation reinforces the assumption that the sexual orientation and gender identity of LGBT people can be corrected, changed, or are not real or as valid as cisgender heterosexual identities,” said Thilaga Sulathireh, from the LGBTQ rights group Justice for Sisters, to This Week in Asia.
“The fact is that diversity in sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and sex characteristics is completely natural and normal. This has been proven by medical and other bodies. The minister must retract and correct this misinformation,” Thilaga added.
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