Malaysia has issued a directive to state-owned TV stations ordering them to ban and remove LGBT characters, and says it will expand the order to privately owned stations,
The Information Department has banned shows featuring gay characters, Deputy
Information, Communications and Homophobic Culture Minister Datuk Maglin Dennis D'Cruz confirmed. He said the ban was effective immediately but would only start with state-owned TV and radio stations.
If it means cancelling some of the shows,
so be it, he told The Star, adding that the decision was to curb the influence of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community.
He also said the decision will be expanded to cover privately-owned stations as well as satellite TV
providers. As for foreign productions, he said the Censorship Board will remove episodes from running TV shows and bar movies with gay characters from being screened locally.
The directive appeared on the Information Department Facebook page:
Effective immediately, radio and TV stations are asked to stop screening shows which feature gay, effeminate men as well as characters that go against the norm of a religious society because this encourages and promotes
LGBT now.
Update: Blather
8th April 2012. See article
from gaystarnews.com
In the face of justified criticism of Malaysia's homophobic ban an gays on TV, officials have been blathering about the ban, simultaneously both denying and confirming it.
Malaysia has no plan to ban state media programmes featuring LGBT
characters ...BUT... retains the right to select suitable content for the public, officials have 'clarified'.
With the message stirring up a hot debate online, Information, Communications and Culture Minister Rais Yaim and his deputy sought
to explain the official stance only to cause much more confusion.
There is no ban on any artistic performance by any segment of society, including those acronymed as soft men, Rais wrote on Twitter. The ministry ...HOWEVER... reserves the right to select contents suitable to the general public since the country is a multi-racial, religious and cultural one, he added.
Rais's deputy Maglin Dennis D'Cruz added to the contradictory government bollox. Whilst onfirming the ban as a mistake, he noted there is indeed a directive and a guideline will be produced to avoid putting LGBT characters on screen or the
air waves.