A Singapore cable television operator has been fined for airing a commercial that showed two women kissing, according to a media statement issued by the city-state's media regulator on Wednesday.
The commercial, which promoted a song titled "Silly Child" (see video below) by pop singer Olivia Yan (阎韦伶), was aired on MTV's Mandarin-language channel last November.
"Within the commercial, romanticised scenes of two girls kissing were shown and it portrayed the relationship as acceptable. This is in breach of the TV advertising guidelines, which disallows advertisements that condone homosexuality," the statement said.
It added: "MDA also consulted the Advisory Committee for Chinese Programmes and the Committee concurred that the commercial had promoted lesbianism as acceptable and romantic, especially when shown together with the lyrics featured."
StarHub was reported as saying that it is disappointed with the watchdog's decision but says it understands the concern and will work closely with partners to ensure broadcasting guidelines are adhered to.
While MDA's decision did not surprise members of the gay and lesbian community in Singapore, pioneer gay rights activist and Fridae columnist Alex Au decried the decision to be "out of step with the social attitudes of Singaporeans" and "beyond commonsense."
"It's a fact of life that there are gay and lesbian people in this world and they engage various acts of affection like any other person and I don't think Singaporeans are so blind as to think that these things do not happen anywhere in the world. It's just absurd to treat TV viewers as children," Au told Radio Australia in an interview.
"Singapore society is such that homosexuality and gay kisses are really no big deal. It's as if something that they've never seen before. So the curiosity may not be arosed as much this time as it might have been say ten years ago. So in that sense, it means that Singaporeans are quite relaxed about the whole issue and that the government policy is therefore completely out of step with the social attitudes of Singaporeans."
In October 2006, the cable operator was fined $10,000 for airing what the Media Development Authority (MDA) has said to be "footage of lesbian sex and bondage" by airing scenes of women having sex in an American reality TV show called Cheaters.
Under Singapore law, gay sex is deemed "an act of gross indecency," punishable by a maximum of two years in jail. The government has however said that the laws will not be used to prosecute consensual sexual relationships between adults during the intense public debate leading up to the parliamentary sessions discussing a wider reform of sex laws last year.
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Reader's Comments
That said, can we also discuss the lousy excuse for a song? It was the real 'gross indecency' here, as banal and redundant as Singapore's role on the planet.
As the saying goes, 'you can't polish a turd'. Sprinkling in some lesbianism is not going to make a shit song good. And what's with the Union Jack? Yet more reinforcement of the stereotype that lesbianism=western=bad?
I need to know that I still have a brain I can depend on. Will our society, pop culture included, stop treating us like morons?
hee hee .. just for show ... u can see how supportive government is ..
what is the reason forcing them PRETENDING they are straight by using "threat and power"?
As for this one, 10,000 is not much to pay for the large amount of publicity this commercial product is now getting, courtesy of the fine.
If the cable channel is international, I would guess they're unlikely spend money to censor it just for Singapore; more likely withdraw the channel altogether.
Go Singapore censorship! You rock!
/sarcasm
Rule no 2. refer to rule no 1. We ARE in SG after all, unfortunately.
Perhaps this is due to censorship.
Post #7 kel00,
That is a very simple logic. In the mv, the female actor is a lesbian/ has lesbian sexual orientation, and that is why she pushes the handsome straight guy away. If her role is replaced by you or me, maybe we will hug him, and/ or kiss him, and/ or even more than these...don't you agree?? =D
love is love .......
and is not love blind or gender blind ???
It's a known fact that wat is said is not wat is meant. If they (powers that be) do something seemingly good, just wait for the turnaround. Your pants will be robbed b4 u can cash in on the rebates given out from yesterday.
They always have all kinds of BS to justify every wrong done. Try this recent response from their trade Minister for a good laugh. When suggested by the public to possibly control prices of rice staples to help alleviate the sufferings of the poor and the struggling average Singaporean who's trying to make ends meet, he simply distracted the idea with a most unbelievable & irrelevant comment: "There's no need to do that, we have more than sufficient rice stock to last 3 months!" Duh and double duh!!!???
Need anything more be said?
Fines such as this one do no service to Singapore, other than continuing to reinforce the negative image of SG seen elsewhere in the world.
Two women kissing briefly. Wow. Whoopie-doo. Now, where are those Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse? Shouldn't they be riding across the sky in a hail of death, destruction, and dismay over the promotion of "lesbianism as acceptable and romantic"? No? Nothing out there? Not even a Donkey of Dismay clip-clopping along behind some low-hanging clouds?
Maybe it's just too EXPENSIVE to question the ongoing meddling of one of Singapore's seemingly many, many We Know What's Good For You (So Just F*****g DO It, A******s!) agencies.
Just one final point. Yes, it may be troublesome for the Singaporean government to 'allow' such an open 'promotion' of lesbianism, in a way likely to offend some members of Singapore's society and culture (who, presumably, don't have access to the internet. Oh, or watch television. Or, hmmm, ever pick up a glossy magazine. Or, gee, go to the movies. Or know anybody overseas. Or ever travel or leave Singapore. Or have any knowledge of the rest of the world. Or have much knowledge of history.)
But! I promise you this! Despite such a flagrant display and endorsement of Lesbianism, I haven't been tempted to convert to it!
Yet!
that poor sin looks at a visual act of love and affection by two individuals of any sex or race or colour or anything that the desperate government sees as 'different' than there ignorant sorry view of humanity is just plain disgusting. Bring on global warming. Sink the place
=p
Though I do agree with poster #2 dkyl- commercial crap are partly to blame for this.
how is that gross? it was lovely.
Singapore bigots!
Poster #19 ( vercoda ) you have to understand singapore is a small island where the information known about the population is TOTAL - as in exact address, exact identy (fingerprint, age, name, sex), medical records, phone number, SMS's sent, even where someone drives (through their electronic road pricing system). Therefore to stand up against the semi-democratic government which has the right to arrest you for any reason is a VERY SERIOUS RISK. Which is why most singaporeans (99.999999%) just get up, go to work, repress their feelings, follow the rules, gossip but don't stand out too much. And if the government doesnt have total control over someone's civil liberties then the familes also seek to opress them too, just so its all happy families. Seriously, singapore is the closest thing to cloning you will ever come without the biological science. Try living in that environment and you will understand why people dont say anything except on a website hosted in hong kong.
We can turn this around to our favour if we put on our thinking caps, lip gloss & kiss in S'pore till it becomes acceptable social norms. So, aye, Post #16 & #17.
Look, they've already gotten used to our fellow male Indian workers holding hands. Why? - Coz they DON'T hide their feelings! I think at the end of the day, we, ultimately are responsible on how others including, sadly including the govt, portrays ourselves. (Accepted) Public display of affections, or PDA should be promoted esp of our kind as who else can educate the general mass on what's acceptable relationships like ours? Certainly not to the fickle pop culture, duh.
We can turn this around to our favour if we put on our thinking caps, lip gloss & kiss in S'pore till it becomes acceptable social norms. So, aye, Post #16 & #17.
Look, they've already gotten used to our fellow male Indian workers holding hands. Why? - Coz they DON'T hide their feelings! And *gasp* braver?
I think at the end of the day, we, ultimately are responsible on how others including, sadly including the govt, portrays ourselves. (Accepted) Public display of affections, or PDA should be promoted esp of our kind as who else can educate the general mass on what's acceptable relationships like ours? Certainly not to the fickle pop culture, duh.
I'd like to know what the community has to say about this..
Pple out there need to get the right infos bout gays and lesbians and stop being homophobics. Stop living in denials, that pple like us dun exist. We are the minority but we still contribute to the global or nation economic growths..
So take a look ard...cos like any one of u heteros.. we r human too.
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