Kuala Lampur, May 14 -- Justice for Sisters (JFS) and the following civil society organisations are deeply concerned by the anti-LGBT signboards in Terengganu. Equally alarming is the statement by the Terengganu State EXCO defending the state action as an effort to incite hatred towards homosexual behaviour (read LGBTQ people), which can be categorised as 'hate speech' under international human rights law.

Similarly, the state's action can be classified as an advocacy of discrimination and hatred. Aside from this latest incident, Terengganu has a track record of state-sanctioned discrimination against LGBTQ people. In 2018, two queer women were caned in an open court for attempt of musahaqah. In 2022, amendments to the syariah criminal e...