Malaysian Women’s Minister Opposes Antigay Camp

Malaysian women's minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said that an antigay camp that seeks to teach 66 "feminine" Muslim schoolboys to be more masculine breaks the law and should be abolished.

The BBC reports that the minister said the four-day camp with religious and physical education, which seeks to discourage the boys, ages 13 to 17, from being gay, violates the Child Act that protects children without prejudice. Gay rights activists also have expressed outrage about the camp.

Officials in the conservative state of Terengganu said the students were invited but not forced to join the camp.

"State officials say that, if left unchecked, the students -- aged between 13 and 17 -- could end up gay or transsexual," the network reported.

Gay sex is illegal in Malaysia and punishable by 20 years in prison. Recently radio stations in the country have censored the lyrics to Lady Gaga's "Born This Way," and last year the Pan Malaysian Islamic Party protested a concert by Adam Lambert.