IN Malaysia, we know well enough to steer away from uncomfortable topics such as same sex marriage.
And when children are added into the picture, it is the equivalent of opening up a can of worms.
And that was exactly what happened when a netizen lamented on X about same sex couples not being able to adopt children in Malaysia.
“Why doesn’t Malaysia allow gay people like us to adopt children? At least we could take care of them and give them love,” said the unidentified poster.
Hell no. https://t.co/i2gftZtLJP
— Fendi #RobohKuilHaram (@BendiTheBagak) October 5, 2026
The post drew a range of reactions from the online community and unsurprisingly, netizens overwhelmingly agreed that children should be raised in conventional families.
The bigger question, however, is whether a parent’s sexual orientation itself is a reliable measure of parenting ability.
The American Psychological Association, for example, previously said that research has not established that gay or lesbian parents are unfit or that their children’s psychosocial development is inherently compromised because of their parents’ sexual orientation.
The study continues. The debate on X, meanwhile, was considerably less academic.
Netizen @farahdiana16, for example, said being gay was a mental illness and that such couples should cure their illness first.
“What kind of love this gay couple can give?” wondered a sceptical @Swize18.
Then there was a sarcastic @jiajiunnhon pointing out that the islamic department does not have the budget to make additional classes.
Another netizen suggested they take in the many Rohingya kids who live off the streets.
Some comments went considerably further, including calls for gay people to be isolated on an island and prevented from having children.
Such remarks reflect the strength of feeling surrounding homosexuality in conservative Malaysia.
Ultimately, adoption is fundamentally about the welfare of a child. Malaysian law currently places adoption within a framework that recognises married couples and, in certain circumstances, single applicants, while offering no legal route for same-sex couples to adopt jointly.
Whether that should ever change is a question Malaysia will have to grapple with as attitudes, family structures and conversations around adoption continue to evolve. For now, the law remains clear, even if the debate surrounding it is anything but.—Oct 6, 2026
