‘We don’t need a nanny state’: Malaysia censoring Rocketman gay scenes prompts pushback from fans of Elton John biopic
- ‘It is not for Elton John to allow the public to see whatever he does or whatever activities he indulges in that is not our culture,’ film censorship chief says
- Scenes depicting gay sex and men kissing were cut from the film in Muslim-majority country. Russia also censored Rocketman and Samoa banned it entirely
Malaysia has censored gay sex scenes in Rocketman – the movie musical based on the life of British singer Elton John – sparking condemnation from art critics on Thursday that the country was becoming a “nanny state”.
Film fans in the Southeast Asian country took to social media to post criticism of the cuts, which included scenes depicting gay sex and men kissing, after Rocketman was released in Malaysian cinemas last week.
“We do not allow any scenes that promote LGBTQ in films that are for public viewing,” Safaruddin Mohammad Ali, who heads Malaysia’s Film Censorship Board’s films unit, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
“Although it is about the real life of Elton John, it is not for him to allow the public to see whatever he does or whatever activities he indulges in that is not our culture.”
Sodomy is a crime punishable by up to 20 years’ imprisonment in Malaysia, a Muslim-majority country of 32 million which is also home to other religious minorities.
Safaruddin and the film’s local distributor, United International Pictures, refused to disclose how many scenes were cut. The distributor said it “respects” the government’s rules.
Rocketman, starring actor Taron Egerton, tracks John’s first steps in the music business, from his piano playing as a child to his explosion onto the US scene and its drug- and alcohol-fuelled parties.
It has received a rating restricting it to viewers who are 18 years old and above in Malaysia.
“We don’t need a nanny state,” said Malaysian TV personality and art critic Sharaad Kuttan, who has watched Rocketman.
We do not allow any scenes that promote LGBTQ in films that are for public viewing
“Governments today cannot control the representation of the LGBT community and individuals – they are fighting a losing battle,” he said, referring to the popularity of streaming TV platforms such as Netflix.
