One Direction singer Zayn Malik pens open letter to British prime minister, pleads for free school lunches and better medical care
A letter written by singer Zayn Malik to British prime minister David Cameron has caused a stir online, as it attempts to address the controversial issue of gay rights.
In his 13-page open letter, written on his personal letterhead, which was first unveiled on Monday, the former One Direction member discusses issues such as LGBT rights, school lunches, and medical care.
The singer, whose band formed during his time at primary school and who released the singles “The One” and “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever” in 2012, says that he has “been bullied for being gay” and has never believed that people can be gay and have an open and happy life.
“People think our world is the way it is. They think that we don’t have freedom, so when they see us, they don’t like us for being gay,” he writes.
“But I was bullied, because I told the bullies to pack it in. I was put in the bin and I was told, ‘Go on, go straight to hell.’ I was put on my knees and I was beaten up and I was told to get out.
“I just need a change of heart. I don’t want to live in a world where people can be gay and be happy,” he adds.
The letter follows a widely criticised decision by the Department for Education (DfE), which was announced in 2013, to scrap a whole curriculum in favour of “a simpler version of the English state-funded Common Core.”
It has caused controversy in the UK after the Conservative-controlled House of Commons voted to give a free vote to the plans.
The DfE defended the move, saying the curriculum would not affect children unless they are “under a statutory duty to receive a free school meal of at least the equivalent of their full weight in standard food
