Yii slams PN man who wanted LGBT to be classified as mentally ill

Yii slams PN man who wanted LGBT to be classified as mentally ill

Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii maintains that mental illness classifications must be based on science and evidence.

DAP Youth chief Dr Kelvin Yii said the LGBT community should be treated with compassion and empathy instead of being discriminated against for having different lifestyle preferences.
PETALING JAYA:
DAP Youth chief Dr Kelvin Yii has slammed a Perikatan Nasional MP for suggesting that the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) community be classified as people with mental health problems.

The Bandar Kuching MP maintained that the LGBT community should be treated with compassion and empathy instead of being discriminated against for having different lifestyle preferences.

“Any classification (as people with mental health issues) has to be based on evidence and science. When it comes to this, DSM (the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders) is the reference point.

“You should not discriminate against anyone, regardless of whether you agree with (their lifestyle) or not,” Yii, who is a doctor by training, said in a Twitter post.

PN’s Pasir Salak MP Jamaludin Yahya had made the proposal in the Dewan Rakyat during the debate on the proposed amendments to the Mental Health Act as part of decriminalising suicide.

Kapar MP Dr Halimah Ali spoke in agreement, but Miri MP Chiew Choon Man rebuked the two PAS MPs and said mental health issues should not be trivialised.

Stay current - Follow FMT on WhatsApp, Google news and Telegram

Subscribe to our newsletter and get news delivered to your mailbox.