Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Zulkifli Hasan recently claimed that work-related stress can be a factor in someone “becoming” LGBTQ+, a remark that sparked a wave of memes, curiosity and humour not only in Malaysia but around the world.

In a parliamentary reply dated Jan 26, Zulkifli cited a study to support his assertion that workplace stress could lead a person to be categorised as LGBTQ+, while also pointing to low religious understanding as another contributing factor.

However, allegations soon emerged that the minister, who is an academic himself, may have lifted the claim almost...