The Penang government respects the LGBT (lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgendered) community but does not have a policy of promoting its cause, said state secretary Farizan Darus.

Farizan said this was the reason the portraits of two LGBT activists’ were removed from the Stripes and Strokes photography exhibition in the ongoing George Town Festival (GTF).

The show with a patriotism theme to mark the Merdeka anniversary this month had featured pictures of well-known activist Nisha Ayub and Pang Khee Teik posing with the Jalur Gemilang.

It was reported that the order to remove their pictures came from the federal government.

Farizan clarified that he had received complaints about the two portraits on Monday afternoon and he then asked the GTF organisers to remove them.

“The complaints were from the public and the Prime Minister’s Department. (Festival director) Joe (Sidek) gave his cooperation and the pictures were taken down yesterday morning.

“But this does not mean we don’t respect the group. We just don’t encourage open promotion (of the LGBT lifestyle).

“You have to remember that in the past, Penang was an opposition state. Now we have to be aligned with the federal government.”

Farizan also said he did not know about the portraits before he received the complaints, as the exhibition was launched last Saturday, on the same day the national-level Merdeka and Malaysia Day celebration was launched.

“I was busy with the Merdeka launch. If I was there (at the exhibition) from the start, I would have asked them to take the portraits down,” he said when asked if the state was unaware of the issue earlier.

“It is not a big issue… we respect the group,” Farizan said, adding that the issue was also freely debated at the state legislative assembly.

“Nothing wrong about discussing this at the state assembly. It is just not the state’s policy to promote (the LGBT lifestyle),” he said.

Earlier, Heng Lee Lee (PH-Berapit) brought up the news about the portraits removals during her speech in the House. She asked for clarification what had transpired at the exhibition.

“Such incidents are rare in Penang, a state that boasts freedom of speech and artistic expression. The incident has gone viral and non-government organisations are criticising the removal of the pictures.

“Who instructed the removal and why?” – August 8, 2018.