BEIJING, China: Star Wars lesbian kiss evades China’s censors
“Star Wars” the movie.
.
The first same-sex kiss to grace the Star Wars film franchise has somehow evaded normally stringent Chinese censors – much to the surprise of the public.
Two minor female characters in “The Rise of Skywalker” are shown in a fleeting lesbian romance scene in the movie, which runs for more than two hours, in the ninth and final installment in the popular science fiction series. “I saw it and was very moved.
.
–THIS SPACE BELOW IS RESERVE FOR YOUR ADVERTISEMENT –
I really wish that China is making progress, even if just in small steps,” commented one person online. “It’s a good start!” proclaimed another about the uncut film, which has already grossed about £12 million in its first nine days in China.
Not everyone was as optimistic, however: “Don’t worry, China will delete the scene soon,” scoffed one user online. The skepticism isn’t unfounded: China generally tightly restricts foreign films, only allowing about 40 movies from abroad to be released in the country each year, with all films undergoing a censorship review process.
Gay romance scenes in 2018’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” about Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury, and 2017’s “Alien: Covenant,” a science fiction horror film, were cut by censors before making it onto China’s silver screen.
.
–THIS SPACE BELOW IS RESERVE FOR YOUR ADVERTISEMENT –
While homosexuality is legal in China, it is not widely socially accepted and “treatment” centers offering “conversion therapy” services are common.
.
–THIS SPACE BELOW IS RESERVE FOR YOUR ADVERTISEMENT –
.
–THIS SPACE BELOW IS RESERVE FOR YOUR ADVERTISEMENT –
A wider debate is raging about the issue, with LGBT activists working to pressure the Chinese government to legalise same-sex marriage.
In 2018 Chinese censors faced ridicule when they decided to ban Disney’s “Christopher Robin”, which sees the title character, now middle-aged, receive a surprise visit from his childhood pal Winnie the Pooh.
Pooh has flummoxed Chinese government censors for years since a photo comparing Xi Jinping, leader of the Communist Party, to the portly bear began circulating online – a softer image than the strongman vision Mr Xi generally tries to project.
Hollywood has long been criticised for caving to Chinese censorship in order to capitalise on the country’s fast-growing movie market.
China is poised to overtake North America as the world’s largest cinema market, bringing in an estimated 200 billion yuan (£22 billion) a year in box office sales.
Elsewhere in Asia, the Star Wars lesbian scene was not so lucky.
–THIS SPACE BELOW IS RESERVE FOR YOUR ADVERTISEMENT –
In Singapore, where sex between men is illegal, the lesbian kiss was removed so the film could receive a PG rating, allowing more children to watch the movie.
A Telegraph reporter also noticed that the kiss was cut from screenings in Malaysia, where homosexual acts are banned by law.
–THIS SPACE BELOW IS RESERVE FOR YOUR ADVERTISEMENT –
