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Malaysia: Gay Characters OK, If They Go Straight

The Malaysian Film Producers' Association said that movies may depict gay characters, provided they do not stay that way throughout the film.


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New censorship guidelines for the Malaysian film industry relax a strict ban on showing homosexuality — as long as the gay characters change their ways by the end of the story.

Malaysian Film Producers' Association president Ahmad Puad Onah explained the new rules to Agence France-Presse.

"We are now allowed to show these scenes," he said. "As long as we portray good triumphing over evil and there is a lesson learnt in the film, such as from a gay [character] who turns into a [straight] man. Previously we are not allowed to show these at all."

In the conservative majority-Muslim country of Malaysia, books and films are routinely banned or edited in order to delete portions believed to threaten moral and religious values.

Under the new rules, according to AFP, kissing, undressing, and obscenities will still be banned. The rules apply to other subjects deemed detrimental to morality, not just homosexuality.

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Reader Comments
  • Name: Wenny
    Date posted: 3/26/2010 4:12:11 PM
    Hometown: Kedah, Malaysia

    Comment:

    This is a total rubbish! I don't know what they were thinking when they set this policy. I'm a Malaysian and I'm not proud to be one!

  • Name: john in SF
    Date posted: 3/23/2010 6:59:41 AM
    Hometown: San Francisco

    Comment:

    Stupid! THis is another country that I would never step foot in at all.

  • Name: Teh
    Date posted: 3/23/2010 6:17:32 AM
    Hometown: KL

    Comment:

    "Malaysia is the pirated DVD capital of the world".... i like this quote!!

  • Name: Hafidz Baharom
    Date posted: 3/23/2010 3:37:12 AM
    Hometown: Shah Alam, Malaysia

    Comment:

    Allow me to highlight just how ridiculous the Malaysian censorship board is by some of the rules they have set up for films. When dealing with inter-religious lovers, and if one of them is a Muslim, the other MUST convert to Islam. When dealing with a sex scene, the lovers can be shown heading towards the bed, and not shown having sex, but it's fine to show them after having sex. This also applies to kissing. They can show a person leaning in for the kiss, and the parting lips at the end. Nothing in between. Similarly, if someone were to be decapitated in a movie, the action of decapitation cannot be shown, but they can show the head rolling or being put on a stake after that. And the best part is, all this censorship is being done for ALL movies, even those rated 18+. That, is how ridiculous the censorship is in this nation, not just for gays, but society in general. It's just stupid.

  • Name: Don
    Date posted: 3/23/2010 12:56:03 AM
    Hometown: Houston

    Comment:

    You better believe that the radical christian wing-nuts here in the good ol' USA would be just as oppressive as the Malaysian theocrats, and every bit as hypocritical too, if they ever get their way! Oh yeah! If they could, they'd probably start burning us at the stake again, unless, of course, we repent our evil ways, just like I'm going to do right now. ring...ring...ring, hello? is this the reparative therapy clinic? uhm, yes. I'd like to make an appointment to uh, undo my uh . . . 'choice' to be gay. why? oh, I seen the light! that's why! . . . Halleluje! . . . yessiree bob! . . . The devil made me do it! . . . Praise the Lord! . . . I do repent! . . . Cancel my rumba lessons!

  • Name: melvin
    Date posted: 3/23/2010 12:22:36 AM
    Hometown: South Dakota

    Comment:

    When religion sneaks its ugly head anywhere, hypocrisy always seems to prevail.

  • Name: justin
    Date posted: 3/23/2010 12:11:17 AM
    Hometown: kuala lumpur

    Comment:

    This is absolutely disgusting. Reading this, I'm ashamed to be malaysian. Really, in this country, I'm EVIL?!?!

  • Name: Deke
    Date posted: 3/22/2010 11:44:38 PM
    Hometown: Hino JP

    Comment:

    In Malaysia, like many places or communities in the world, it is OK to be gay and sexually active if you 1) just say you are NOT gay, 2) just SAY that you used to be but got over it, or 3) just SAY that you are struggling with unwanted same-sex feelings. And at least in Malaysia, It's probably better to not be a gay Malay at all (the government there doesn't much care about other ethnicities, as long as they pay their taxes). SO, the message here is, lying and hypocrisy are IN, while makin' love is way OUT. I just hope that film and TV producers find a way to subliminalize their messages in spite of this idiocy. Like showing how happy a guy was before (changing his ways), and how dejected after. If there is any kind of a silver lining here, it would be that at least this kind of thing is being discussed in this country at all...

  • Name: Kevin
    Date posted: 3/22/2010 4:16:56 PM
    Hometown: Allentown

    Comment:

    Which is worse?

  • Name: Jakob
    Date posted: 3/22/2010 11:45:20 AM
    Hometown: Kuala Lumpur

    Comment:

    LOL....this is why I RARELY go to movies here. But Malaysia is the pirated DVD capital of the world, any DVD is available uncensored here thank God! Malaysia government...what hypocrites!



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