KUALA LUMPUR: Disney has refused to release a censored version of its film “Beauty and the Beast” in Malaysia after authorities in the Muslim-majority nation cut a “gay moment” in the movie, Bloomberg News reported Wednesday. The head of Malaysia’s censorship board earlier told local media that a “gay moment” had been removed from the film before approving its release. Director Bill Condon has revealed that the movie contains Disney’s “first exclusively gay moment”, although some critics have said the reference is extremely mild and fleeting. Homosexuality is illegal in Malaysia, where laws criminalizing sodomy can result in imprisonment, corporal punishment and fines. The movie has also come under fire from religious figures in neighbouring Singapore, with Christian clergy attacking Disney for deviating from “wholesome, mainstream values”.

Source: Manila Times March 15, 2017 04:18 UTC