Los Angeles, Aug 23 : The law and its implementation appear to be diverging in Singapore since the nation’s government has informed that it intends to limit and categorize media materials with LGBTQ themes even after the planned decriminalization of gay relationships. The decision to remove a colonial-era law which prohibited sex between men was announced by the Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
The law, Section 377A of the Penal Code, was introduced in 1938, and established two years of jail time for “any act of gross indecency” between two men whether in the public space or in private, as reported by “Variety”.
London-based Singaporean filmmaker Anthony Chen commended the planned repeal.”Long overdue, but well-done Singapore,” he wrote on Twitter.
Up until about a decade in the past the law was commonly used to the basis for police searches of gay-owned businesses as well as street arrests.
As per ‘Variety’ since 2010 the law has not been applied but it has continued to guide the strict anti-LGBTQ policies in the entertainment and media.
In June the animated Pixar film “Lightyear” was only available to people aged 16 and over by the rating board of the nation in light of its depiction of kissing between two female characters.
In the past the National Library Board had withdrawn the children’s book featuring penguins with the same gender but the ban was later rescinded, and the book was instead added to the list of adult books.
“Variety” further declares it is believed that LGBTQ media programming will be eligible for higher ratings for age regardless of the repeal of 377A according to the guidelines of the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) stated.
“We will continue to make into account the norms in place.LGBTQ media content will always merit higher ratings for age,” the MCI said in an announcement of clarification.
The nation’s Films Act does not permit content that is deemed to be “promotion of homosexuality” or content with “excessive depiction of sexual relations between individuals of the same gender”.
The nation’s InfoComm Media Development Authority (IMDA) who supervises the sector, has a code of conduct that targets films that portray “alternative sexualities” like homosexuality, and to “be mindful of values of the community”.
“Films that focus on sexuality alternatives could be classified as having (the) most prestigious rating of R21.Inexplicably depictions of sexual relations between individuals of identical gender could be included in films with an R21 rating.” the code states.
The restriction would be limited to those who are older than 21 years old.
A rating less than of M18 (allowing viewers who are older than 18) could be used if homosexual themes or content are a subplot “if discrete in the treatment, and is not in any way gratuitous” According to the IMDA code.
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