Singaporeans enraged by government chopping same-sex kiss in Les Miserables
SINGAPORE -- A decision made by Singapore's Media Development Authority (MDA) to cut a kissing scene between two male actors from the iconic musical Les Miserables has caused ire amongst many Singaporeans.
According to The Straits Time, a spokesperson for the MDA confirmed on Saturday that it received complaints "from members of the public" and therefore will be taking action against the production.
Les Miserables is currently showing at the Esplanade and was initially given a "General" rating according to the script submitted for classification. The MDA said that the kissing scene was not highlighted in the script, and that the production was in breach of its licensing conditions.
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The scene in question involves a peck on the lips between two male actors towards the end of the song "Beggars at the Feast."
On June 1, Facebook user Alvin Ng posted in the Facebook group "We Are Against Pink Dot in Singapore", saying that the kissing scene was unnecessary and called for fellow supporters of the group to lodge similar complaints.
Pink Dot is Singapore's annual LGBTI pride gathering, which recently received its fair share of news headlines following its eighth edition on June 4.
A week after Ng's post, he followed up with a second post on Friday with a response he received from the MDA with regards to his complaint.
Although Ng has since removed his posts, countless netizens have been sharing screenshots and criticising him for being homophobic and misinterpreting the kiss as "romantic."
Facebook user, Miak Siew commented: "And folks, this is a classic case of moral panic."
Donald Low also wrote in response to Ng: "We're becoming a stupid, ignorant and intolerant society."
On Sunday, Singaporean playwright and writer Alfian Sa'at wrote a lengthy post on his Facebook page, addressing Ng directly and his lack of understanding of classic literature.
In order to keep the "general" rating, the producers for Les Miserables have agreed to remove the scene for the rest of its Singapore run.
It is unclear the exact cause of action the MDA will take against the show. According to its guidelines, the producer will either get away with a warning or face a fine for the contractual breach.
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