Beauty and the Beast gay scene backlash from Singapore to Malaysia and Hong Kong
A minor character’s 4.5-minute scene shows him expressing affection for his same-sex boss and dancing with another man. Conservative groups call for a regional boycott and Malaysia censors the film
Calls from some conservative groups for Asian cities from Singapore to Hong Kong to boycott Disney’s Beauty and the Beast over a “gay moment” in the film have drawn flak from rights activists, as the US studio stands by its decision not to cut the scene ahead of a regional release this weekend.
The episode has cast a spotlight on rising friction between Southeast Asia’s tiny but vocal gay rights lobby and influential conservative groups that hold significant political sway.
In Malaysia, Disney rebuffed officials’ demands for the censorship of 4.5 minutes of footage deemed to depict homosexuality, putting the film’s release in the country in jeopardy. In neighbouring Singapore, the national council of churches said in a statement that some Christian leaders were “deeply concerned about the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual and questioning) representation in this new Disney movie”.
“They see this as an attempt to influence young children and socialise them at an early age into thinking that the homosexual lifestyle is normal,” the statement said.
It urged parents to be “aware of this strand in the movie and its possible influence on their children”.
