MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 24, 2011) - An alliance of progressive Filipino lesbians, gays, bi-sexual and transgender, and their allies came out Thursday to support the war call issued by pop star Lady Gaga to fight anti-gay censorship in Malaysia.
The multi-awarded singer Lady Gaga exhorted Malaysian lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to oppose the removal by radio stations in Malaysia and the Hong Kong-based music cable programmer Channel V of lyrics in her hit anthem that promoted LGBT pride.
Goya Candelario, spokesperson for the Progressive Organization of Gays (ProGay Philippines) said that it fully support Lady Gaga's position, and said it is calling on its members to boycott Channel V and its advertisers.
Radio stations in Malaysia were playing censored versions of "Born This Way" that removed the passage "No matter gay, straight or bi, lesbian, trans-gendered life, I'm on the right track, baby."
In an online interview, Gaga said: "What I would say is for all the young people in Malaysia that want those words to be played on the radio, it is your job and it is your duty as young people to have your voices heard."
In the neighboring country of the Philippines, gay activists protested the censorship made by Channel V, which said the editing was done because the cable firm provided content for the entire Southeast Asian market, even if media rules in Malaysia do not apply to the Philippines.
"We the oppressed LGBTs in the Philippines are united behind our Malaysian LGBT comrades. We demand that all media outlets in Asia play "Born This Way" in its original version and stop censorship that will victimize LGBT freedoms," the ProGay Philippines representative said.
In 2001, ProGay Philippines activists picketed the Malaysian embassy in Manila asking the government of Prime Minister Mahathir to stop the persecution of his estranged deputy minister Anwar Ibrahim, who was sacked and jailed for trumped up sodomy charges.
Video from YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wV1FrqwZyKw
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