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Ang Lee says
Asian audiences more accepting of gay subject matter than
Americans

Ang Lee says
Asian audiences more accepting of gay subject matter than
Americans

Director Ang Lee said Saturday he thinks Asian audiences are generally more accepting of gay subject matter than Americans, after a movie theater in Utah owned by a Mormon abruptly pulled his new film, the gay cowboy romance Brokeback Mountain. Lee noted that one of his previous movies about a gay couple, The Wedding Banquet, received a less restrictive categorization in his native Taiwan than in the United States. "Actually, if you compare the two, I think Asian society is more open," he said at an event promoting Brokeback Mountain in Hong Kong. "I saw for myself after the showing of The Wedding Banquet, Taiwan has become more open on this topic [of homosexuality] than the U.S.," Lee said. "I think there's pressure to condemn [homosexuality] in their [Americans'] religion, which causes their homophobia." The movie theater that canceled Brokeback Mountain in Utah is owned by Larry Miller, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, more commonly known as the Mormon Church. The church has spent millions of dollars campaigning against same-sex marriage and considers homosexual acts grounds for excommunication. Miller, who also owns the NBA team Utah Jazz, has not explained the decision to pull the movie. However, Brokeback Mountain has also faced resistance in Asia. Its Malaysian distributor has said it won't release the film in the predominantly Muslim country. Lee said he didn't consider possible backlash against Brokeback Mountain in the U.S. a big loss. "If Americans don't watch the movie, then they don't watch the movie. It's not a big deal. It's their problem, not mine," Lee said with laughter. "I feel sorry for them because they missed a good film. It's their loss. It's a small movie, so we don't need to make that much money." Lee said acceptance of gays needs to happen over time. "It takes education, gradually getting used to it [homosexuality], for us to become more civilized. I got used to it slowly too," he said. Brokeback Mountain has won Lee numerous accolades going into the Oscar season, including the top award at the Venice Film Festival last year and Best Picture, Best Drama, Best Screenplay, and Best Director honors at the recent Golden Globe awards. (AP)

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