Hong Kong Group Wants to Ban ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Over ‘Gay Moment’
By Khier Casino
Censors in Hong Kong are the latest group to express disapproval of the “exclusively gay moment” in the live-action remake of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast”, which is now out in theaters.
The anti-gay Family School Sodo (Sexual Orientation Discrimination Ordinance) Concern Group isn’t happy that the film was rated as suitable for all ages to view, writing a letter to the Office for Film, Newspaper and Article Administration criticizing the “gay-related behavior or lifestyle” in a scene involving two male characters dancing together at a ball.
“[This] could instill in some children values that their parents do not agree with, such as believing that being gay is normal and not a problem,” the group’s convener Roger Wong Wai-ming said, according to Shanghaiist.
There’s no word yet on how the group feels about Emma Watson’s romantic relationship with a human-animal hybrid.
But Wai-ming has called on the government in Hong Kong to either edit out the controversial scene, rate it not suitable for children under 18 without parental supervision or ban “Beauty and the Beast” from being screened in theaters across the country.
Too bad the film has already been shown to people of all ages and the administration found it appropriate.
Christian leaders in Singapore have advised moviegoers to “protect” their children from the film’s so-called “pro-LGBT agenda,” with the country’s National Council of Churches denouncing the supposed gay character, played by actor Josh Gad, as “totally unnecessary,” according to the Hong Kong Free Press.
Homosexual acts are considered a crime in Singapore.
Meanwhile, the remake of the 1991 animated musical received a P13 parental guidance rating from Malaysia’s Film Censorship Board after a request to cut four and a half minutes of footage.
Disney stood its ground and said in a statement: “The film has not been and will not be cut for Malaysia.”
Malaysian netizens took to Twitter to vent their frustrations about the banning of the film:
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