Disney Refuses to Censor ‘Beauty and the Beast’ ‘Gay Moment’ for Malaysia – Heat Street

Disney said Wednesday it will not be cutting an exclusively gay moment fromBeauty and the Beast for its release in Malaysia, spurning a request from Malaysian authorities. That means the film most likely will not be seen in the majority Muslim country.

Malaysias Film Censorship Board had requested the studio remove at least four minutes fromthe live-action movie involving a homosexual character named LeFou, who has an unrequited gay crush on Gaston, the films villain.

The censors initially approved the films release in theaters following their submission for parts of the film to be cut, but Disneys refusal to comply with the request has held up its release, likely in perpetuum.

The chairman of Malaysiascensorship board, Abdul Halim Abdul Hamid initially said that he did not know why the films release was delayed, as they had already approved the movie for a P13 (which is equivalent to a PG-13 in the US) release after requesting the cut of the gay moment. Under the P13 rating, scenes promoting sexuality are forbidden.

We have approved it but there is a minor cut involving a gay moment. It is only one short scene but it is inappropriate because many children will be watching this movie, Abdul Halim said to the AP.

Beauty and the Beast first courted controversy after its director Bill Condon revealed last month thatLeFou is openly homosexual. Condon told Allure magazine that the LeFou / Gaston subplotcontainsan exclusively gay moment.

Disneys announcement follows our report of the films delay in Malaysia, where it was originally planned for screenings on March 16. Tickets sold by two of the nations largest cinema chains, TGV and Golden Screen Cinema, are being refunded to viewers.

Majority Muslim Malaysia is notorious for its censorship of films shown in theaters and on TV.Swear words and romantic sceneseven kissingare often cut. Since 2010, the country has relaxed its restrictions on sexual and religious content in films, allowing for the depiction of gay characters, provided their sexuality isnt celebrated. These rules are only actively enforced in theaters, and do not apply to online or optical media.

Ian Miles Cheong is a journalist and outspoken media critic. You can reach him through social media at@stillgray on Twitterand onFacebook.

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Disney Refuses to Censor 'Beauty and the Beast' 'Gay Moment' for Malaysia - Heat Street