Amnesty campaigner Qistina Johari said the “deviant culture” label was akin to legitimising violence and discrimination against a vulnerable group, fuelling hatred and discrimination.

She urged the government to reject the suggestion and end what she described as harmful attacks against the LGBT community.

“Words from those in power carry weight and real-world consequences. Government leaders should never weaponise language against marginalised communities,” Qistina said in a statement.

Marhamah told the Dewan Negara yesterday that people should use the term “deviant culture” when referring to the LGBT lifestyle to prevent its normalisation and promotion.

She claimed that repeated use of the “LGBT” term on social media could cause more of related content to appear through search algorithms, thereby “unintentionally promoting deviant culture”.

Earlier, women’s rights group SIS Forum (Malaysia) also criticised Marhamah over her statement, saying it came with both legal and social consequences.

SIS communications manager Ameena Siddiqi said the Federal Constitution does not recognise “deviant” citizens and that Article 8(1) guarantees that all persons are equal before the law and entitled to equal protection.

Describing it as “selective moral outrage”, Ameena questioned why the “deviant” label was not tagged on to those involved in corruption or sexual violence.