Rocker Adam Lambert has reportedly
agreed to tone down an upcoming concert in Malaysia, the AP reported.
Lambert, who came out gay last year on
the cover of Rolling Stone, said he was altering this concert
out of “respect” for Malaysian culture.
Officials from the Pan Malaysian
Islamic Party (PAS), Malaysia's Islamic opposition party, on Monday
demanded the cancellation of Lambert's scheduled Thursday night
performance at the Putra Indoor Stadium in Bukit Jalil, near Kuala
Lumpur.
“Adam Lambert's shows … are
outrageous, with lewd dancing and a gay performance that includes
kissing male dancers, this is not good for people in our country,”
Nasrudin Hasan, leader of PAS Youth, said.
“It's something I'm doing out of
respect,” Lambert told the AP in Hong Kong. “It's just one
little thing. Man kissing another man is something that [the]
government really doesn't appreciate.”
“I think it's a tough decision to
make, but to me, there are so many amazing fans in Malaysia that it's
more important for me to be able to come and do my show there for
them and entertain them and thank them for supporting me,” the
28-year-old American Idol season 8 runner up said.
Sexual relationships between members of
the same sex are outlawed in Malaysia. People convicted of gay sex
face possible fines, long prison sentences and even corporal
punishment.
PAS has previously protested against
the performances of other American singers deemed too racy for the
Muslim stronghold, including Beyonce, Rihanna, Gwen Stefani, Avril
Lavigne and Mariah Carey.
Social conservative groups in the U.S.
protested Lambert's 2009 American Music Awards performance, which
included Lambert kissing his male keyboardist.