Minister: No TV ban on 'soft men'
The New Paper
Monday, Apr 09, 2012
MALAYSIA - Are they in or are they out?
That's the question many Malaysians are asking after the latest clarification by their government on an alleged ban on the portrayal of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual (LGBT) characters on state-owned television channels.
In the fifth clarification on the matter since Thursday, Information, Communications and Culture Minister Rais Yatim said that no such ban exists, reported the Malaysian Insider.
Mr Rais wrote on Twitter: "There is no ban on any artistic performance by any segment of society including those acronymed as 'soft men'."
He added in another tweet that the ministry "still reserved the right to select content suitable for the general public given that Malaysia is a multiracial, multi-religious and multicultural country", reported The Star.
The minister was clarifying a news portal's report on the matter, which originated from a Facebook posting by the Information Department on Thursday morning.
The post read: "With immediate effect, the department will stop the airing of programmes containing effeminate men and 'pondans' (transsexuals), and characters which are against the norms of our religious society on its radio and television stations..."
But the department later posted a clarification in the same Facebook thread, denying the directive and blaming it on a communications blunder.
"The issue of banning programmes containing (LGBT characters) that we posted last night was a topic of discussion on Bernama Radio24 that we reproduced from their Facebook.
"It was not a directive from any authority..." read the posting from its Facebook administrator.
This article was first published in The New Paper.
The New Paper
Monday, Apr 09, 2012
MALAYSIA - Are they in or are they out?
That's the question many Malaysians are asking after the latest clarification by their government on an alleged ban on the portrayal of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual (LGBT) characters on state-owned television channels.
In the fifth clarification on the matter since Thursday, Information, Communications and Culture Minister Rais Yatim said that no such ban exists, reported the Malaysian Insider.
Mr Rais wrote on Twitter: "There is no ban on any artistic performance by any segment of society including those acronymed as 'soft men'."
He added in another tweet that the ministry "still reserved the right to select content suitable for the general public given that Malaysia is a multiracial, multi-religious and multicultural country", reported The Star.
The minister was clarifying a news portal's report on the matter, which originated from a Facebook posting by the Information Department on Thursday morning.
The post read: "With immediate effect, the department will stop the airing of programmes containing effeminate men and 'pondans' (transsexuals), and characters which are against the norms of our religious society on its radio and television stations..."
But the department later posted a clarification in the same Facebook thread, denying the directive and blaming it on a communications blunder.
"The issue of banning programmes containing (LGBT characters) that we posted last night was a topic of discussion on Bernama Radio24 that we reproduced from their Facebook.
"It was not a directive from any authority..." read the posting from its Facebook administrator.
This article was first published in The New Paper.
