LGBT rights groups said that SBS broadcasted the movie’Bohemian Rhapsody’ with the same sex kiss scene removed as “clear discrimination and censorship against LGBT people.” He asked SBS to “prepare guidelines for ensuring cultural diversity.”
The’Rainbow Action Against LGBT Discrimination’, organized by 40 LGBT human rights alliances, including the Public Interest Human Rights Law Foundation’s How to Create Empathy and Hope, issued a statement on the 16th and said, “Attitudes that dismiss all stories and scenes about LGBTI people as violent or sexual Is a censorship that shows hatred and discrimination against LGBTI people.”
On the evening of the 13th, SBS aired’Bohemian Rhapsody’, a special feature film for Lunar New Year, about the life of Freddie Mercury, lead singer of British rock band Queen. SBS deleted two kissing scenes, including the kiss of Mercury and his lover Jim Hutton in the movie, and the kissing scenes between the male extras in the background were mosaicized. The kiss scene between the opposite sex was sent out as it was. SBS criticized the date, “8 pm is the time zone with the highest ratings with families. The consciousness of being uncomfortable with the same-sex kissing scene is spreading in society, so I have to be careful.”
The Rainbow Action said, “As it is impossible to divide Freddie Mercury’s life into LGBTQ parts and non-LGBT parts, cutting out LGBTQ scenes in the Bohemian Rhapsody completely denies his life and existence.” “The deceased (Freddie Mercury ), as well as insulting all LGBTQ people.” Even when SBS stated that it was’just like arbitrarily editing excessively violent scenes or smoking scenes’ as the reason for editing, he said, “It showed the attitude of censoring by treating the existence of LGBTI people in a violent and sexual manner.
Rainbow Action said, “If SBS decided to air a movie that attracted close to 10 million audiences in 2018 as a special feature on New Year’s Day 3 years later, it would be necessary to insult LGBTI people by editing the kissing scenes between same-sex lovers. Rather, it was necessary to clearly convey the message this film wanted to inform without editing the scene. However, SBS abandoned the social responsibility of the broadcasting station by editing this scene.”
Rainbow Action said, “The SBS Code of Ethics specifies fairness and pluralism as values, and reports and production workers should do their best to produce all programs fairly.” At the level, discrimination against minorities should be prohibited and guidelines should be prepared on how to actively ensure cultural diversity. We urge SBS to think about cultural diversity in the media.”
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