Malaysia’s religious affairs minister has been hit with backlash for claiming that work-related stress can turn people gay. On Tuesday (27 January), Zulkifli Hasan, responding to a question asking for updated LGBTQ+ trends in Malaysia, claimed that work stress was among several factors allegedly contributing to people adopting an “LGBTQ+ lifestyle”. He said factors such as social environment, sexual experiences, work-related stress and personal circumstances contribute to a person being LGBTQ+. “The fact is diversity in sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics is completely natural and normal. In November last year, animated series Santiago of the Seas was pulled from airways in Malaysia after viewers complained about “LGBTQ+ content”.