Same-sex issues in a cross-cultural perspective: the strange similarities between John Howard and Mahathir Mohamad

Abstract

"This paper focuses on the Howard government’s opposition to the recognition of same-sex relationships in Australia. That case study is then contrasted with the views of a very different politician, whose “Asian values” approach has led to critiques of western attitudes towards homosexuality, namely Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Contrary to Mahathir’s analysis, his own views are shown to show strong similarities with those of John Howard. In short, while there may be significant differences in the lgbtq identities across cultures, there can be surprising similarities in the heteronormative discourses which marginalise those identities" Show more