Malaysian rock band Bunkface has come under fire for releasing a song which includes the lyric “go die LGBT”.
The song is titled “Akhir Zaman”, which means “the end of times”, according to QueerLapis.com, and includes the lyric “LGBT pergi mampus”, which translates as either “go to hell LGBT” or “go die LGBT”.
An online initiative to get the song banned from YouTube for hateful content is gaining traction, with many Twitter users flocking to the streaming platform to report the video.
The Bunkface music video has already been viewed more than 700,000 times since it was uploaded to YouTube last week. The song does not yet appear to be available on Spotify.
Malaysian rock band Bunkface said they want to be ‘protected from slander’ as backlash against their anti-LGBT+ song grows.
Bunkface posted an update on the YouTube video two days ago that translates as: “We would like to thank everyone who has always supported Bunkface’s work, may we all be protected from slander this time god willing.”
Worryingly, the video has been flooded with homophobic comments from fans. One person commented that LGBT+ people are “obviously against the law of nature”. Another commenter praised the band and told them to “keep up” with their “struggle”.
We would like to thank everyone who has always supported Bunkface’s work, may we all be protected from slander this time god willing.
Another said: “I also do not support the LGBTQ community because I know my religion.” They went on to claim that they cannot support queer people because they want to get into heaven.
The band has been met with a wave of condemnation on Twitter. One person said they were trying to “climb their way back into the mainstream” with the homophobic track.
pretty rich for bunkface to make their way to fame with “diskriminasi menjatuhkan aku” & now chooses to sing “lgbt boleh pergi mampus” as a way to climb back into the mainstream. 😳
— freyr (@sunfloweraidil) February 26, 2020
Meanwhile, one Twitter user is urging people to report the video on YouTube for “hateful or abusive content”.
This song promotes homophobia & violence against LGBTQ people. Please report the video on youtube:
1. Click: https://t.co/VquO0LHQfH
2. Open settings
3. Select “Hateful or abusive content” > “Promotes hatred or violence”
4. Timestamp 1:06, add comment, “hateful lyric”
5. Submit https://t.co/jSIu4W55j5— Numan Afifi (@NumanAfifi) February 26, 2020
Many fans have tweeted support for the band’s hateful message.
While many have swiftly condemned the band, they have also gained a worrying amount of support from young fans in Malaysia.
One fan tweeted: “I’m with you hating LGBT. F**k LGBT.”
The band seemed to respond to the controversy on Twitter last week, posting: “Are you angry? Don’t get mad”, along with the song’s title in a hashtag. The band has also been retweeting fan support for the song.
PinkNews has contacted YouTube for comment.