(picture source: Bernama)

According to The Star reports, (http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/7/17/nation/21846232&sec=nation), Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen stresses that all Malaysians, regardless of their sexual orientation, are equally entitled to welfare aid as long as they meet welfare requirements, and acknowledges the fact that homosexuals are often stigmatised in our society.

Surely, it is consoling to know that, amid the recent wave of moral panic propogated by certain authorities (Bernama articles lambasting homosexuality as a social ill, certain members of Parliament labelling homosexuality as a “problem” - http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v3/news.php?id=346091 etc), we have a senior Minister who is willing to lend her authority to remind everyone that gays are to be treated no less and no more than other Malaysian citizens.

But the work to promote equal treatment of gays does not end with the recognition of gays’ equal rights. It must be followed by consistent and committed initiatives by the government, NGOs and civil society alike to incorporate LGBTs into mainstream society in every aspect. It’s a long way to go, but if someone like Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen has made the first step of acknowledging the equal rights of gays, then we must make sure that the ball doesn’t stop rolling.