Malaysia’s Minister for Religious Affairs has been criticised after saying work stress can cause people to adopt an LGBTQ+ identity, with human rights advocates at home and abroad condemning the remarks as 'dehumanising'

According to the South China Morning Post, Datuk Dr Zulkifli Hasan said in a televised interview on Monday that four factors contribute to what he called an “LGBTQ+ lifestyle”: excessive work-related stress, social pressure, sexual experiences and insufficient religious observance

He was quoted as saying that when individuals become exhausted from overwork, stress can dominate both the mind and mental state, potentially leading to changes in sexual orientation. He claimed that such issues would not arise if people firmly adhered to and practised religious teachings

The remarks were later referenced in a written response submitted to Malaysia’s Parliament, further amplifying public attention and sparking a fierce backlash on social media platforms. LGBTQ+ communities, civil rights activists and human rights organisations criticised the statements as unscientific, overly generalised and dehumanising. They argued that they reduce sexual orientation and gender identity to a supposed by-product of fatigue or a lack of religious devotion

Online reaction was swift and often satirical. In Malaysia, the comments were widely mocked, with viral posts on X, formerly Twitter, and TikTok joking, “Tomorrow the whole country should take a day off—otherwise everyone will turn gay,” a line that quickly became a popular meme

The controversy also resonated beyond Malaysia’s borders. In Thailand, many social media users dismissed the claims as unrealistic, commenting that heavy workloads do not change a person’s sexual orientation, but instead simply increase the desire to unwind by consuming popular BL (boys’ love) and GL (girls’ love) television series and novels