Jejaka, a pro-LGBTQ advocacy group, said the venue owner had withdrawn its booking on safety grounds.

It said the group had received explicit threats, including death threats, through social media.

“These threats have been documented, and a police report will be lodged,” Jejaka said in a statement.

The NGO stressed that the cancellation was not due to legal issues, but because “an environment was created in which reckless rhetoric, misinformation and fear-mongering made it unsafe for people to gather.”

“When words are used irresponsibly, they carry consequences, and in this case, those consequences place lives at risk,” it added.

The programme had been promoted by Jejaka as a private community gathering focused on health, well‑being and HIV awareness, but drew criticism after a poster circulated online.

Since then, police have received at least five reports related to the event’s advertisement and the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, issued a firm directive against any “immoral activities” or celebrations linked to LGBTQ lifestyle in the state.

Jejaka said the cancellation had denied around 50 interested participants, up from 14 who had initially registered, a safe opportunity to engage in community activities that were meant to reduce health stigma.

The group also criticised authorities, institutions, and public figures for failing to de-escalate tensions or reaffirm protection for minorities, saying that silence or ambiguity in the face of threats normalises intimidation.

“While this programme has been cancelled on safety grounds, we have not retreated from our values, principles or responsibility.

“This decision was made to protect lives, not to concede legitimacy to fear, intimidation or hate,” Jejaka said, adding that its work would continue in safe and responsible forms.