August 16, 2011
Gay Malaysian Pastor Announces Wedding Banquet
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 1 MIN.
A gay Malaysian pastor who plans to marry his American partner in New York has pledged to throw a wedding banquet in his home country despite stern criticism by Muslim politicians.
The Rev. Ouyang Wen Feng told The Associated Press that he hopes more Malaysians will "speak up for gay people."
Several government leaders and state-linked media in Muslim-majority Malaysia have criticized Ouyang in recent days.
Islamic Affairs Minister Jamil Khir Baharom said authorities were concerned that Ouyang was advocating "extremism."
Ouyang said in an email to the AP on Tuesday that he plans to "have a wedding banquet in Kuala Lumpur next year."
He moved to the United States in 1998 to study theology. He was ordained a minister four years ago.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
