We, the undersigned, call on the Kelantan Police to check the accuracy and veracity of the facts shared with the media in connection with an alleged gay party that the police broke up last month, in June 2025.
The case was widely reported in the media and drew quick discriminatory statements against LGBTQ people from state and non-state actors, raising fear of further discrimination, violence and marginalisation among LGBTIQ people.
Justice for Sisters’ documentation of the event is completely different from the police’s account.
Justice for Sisters confidently confirms that:
- Contrary to the allegation that the event was a “gay sex party”, it was actually a health event. In keeping with the goals of the event, it provided sexual health and HIV-related information, condoms and voluntary testing to promote safer sexual health practices.
- The event, which began at 20:00, included health talks with healthcare providers, including doctors. The event was winding up by midnight; however, about 20 attendees were still at the event awaiting test results.
- None of them provided sexual services at the event or were there to provide sexual services. The attendees were at the event to seek sexual health information and tests.
- The police alleged that the attendees paid a fee to attend the event. This is inaccurate. No payment was needed from the attendees to participate in the event. It was a free health event aimed at increasing access to health services among marginalised populations.
- The police alleged that the event was promoted on social media. This is also inaccurate.
- The police, allegedly from the narcotics unit, raided the event after midnight. The attendees noted that the police raided the event under the suspicion that it was a “gay party”. However, they learnt that it was not. Yet, the police proceeded to conduct urine tests with the remaining attendees. All tested negative. The police then checked the attendees’ phones for information about the supposed gay party. They found nothing. Three people, however, were arrested for having intimate content, most of which is personal content. We maintain that these are trumped-up charges.
- The event targeted hidden populations, including gay, bisexual, queer (GBQ) and other men who have sex with men (MSM). According to the Ministry of Health,access to HIV prevention services for GBQ and other MSM has “been poor, probably because they are the most hard-to-reach and difficult to identify due to stigma and discrimination”. It is important to note that ending the Aid epidemic by 2030 requires a whole-of-government and multisectoral approach. The police are critical in implementing harm reduction and ending Aids efforts, as threats against health centres and services affect health-seeking behaviour.
Following the incident, we have heard that many LGBTQ people are afraid of seeking health services or attending such events in the future.
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It is important to note that the police, for years now, have moved away from raiding health events and centres that target marginalised groups, as it goes against public health goals and approaches. Such raids and threats to health centres have a deterrent effect on health-seeking behaviour among marginalised populations. We are concerned about the reemergence of this trend. We strongly urge the Ministry of Health to investigate this matter.
The police must maintain the highest level of professionalism, integrity and accuracy when reporting facts of cases to the media. Many of the statements by the police were stigmatising, which were later sensationalised in the media. This includes
- The statement that some of the attendees were HIV positive and were providing sexual services: The disclosure of this information was unnecessary. It further reinforces the hyper-sexualisation of LGBT people and stigma related to HIV and LGBT people. It also reinforces the fear of non-consensual disclosure of HIV status, sexual orientation and other personal information, further increasing the trust deficit in public institutions.
- The suggestion that HIV medication is a preparatory item for sex: This is a dangerous and irresponsible suggestion, as there are already existing barriers in accessing PrEP [pre-exposure prophylaxis – a medication taken by people who do not have HIV to prevent infection] and other health services in general, as noted by the Ministry of Health and other studies. This could further increase low health-seeking behaviour among LGBTQ people.
- The statement that they appeared ‘manly’ and fully clothed at the time of the raid: The description of the gender expression and identity of attendees was also stigmatising. The attendees were fully clothed at the event because it was a health event, and not a sex party, as the police alleged.
Justice for Sisters has documented a range of human rights violations by the police during the raid, including violations of privacy as well as degrading and humiliating treatment of the attendees.
We are also deeply concerned by the lack of ability of the event organisers and the detainees to speak up and seek redress due to concerns over backlash by the police and the state government. We recall the police code of ethics – compassion, responsiveness, integrity and professionalism.
The police must maintain a compassionate and responsive approach to the discrimination that marginalised groups face, and act with the highest level of professionalism and integrity to ensure that the rights of marginalised groups are protected.
We call on the police to correct the inaccurate statements immediately.
Endorsed by
- Justice for Sisters
- Seed Malaysia
- Centre for Independent Journalism
- Sisters United
- Amnesty International Malaysia
- Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO)
- Jejaka
- KL queer space
- Sabah Women’s Action Resource Group (Sawo)
- Hush Collective
- All Women’s Action Society (Awam)
- Reproductive Rights Advocacy Alliance Malaysia (RRAAM)
- Freedom Film Network
- Kelab Ikatan Persaudaraan Lelaki Bukit Tinggi, Klang.
- Life Under Umbrella (LUU)
- Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti Selangor (Empower)
- Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM)
- People Like Us Hang Out! (Pluho)
- PT Foundation
- Association of Women Lawyers (AWL)
- Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram)
- Pride In Research
- Dr Nadirah Babji
- Wong Keen Ji, licensed and registered counsellor
- Dr Fiera Adam
- Dr Johan Ariff Juhari, Chengal Specialist Clinic
- Shaleen Chrisanne, clinical psychologist
- Dr Subatra Jayaraj
- Dr Alvin Santhosh Francis, GP
- Dr Nasyrah Iskandar, GP
- Dr Muhammad Ezrin, GP
AGENDA RAKYAT - Lima perkara utama
- Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
- Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
- Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
- Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
- Lawan rasuah dan kronisme
