The queen biopic 'Bohemian Rhapsody' has now become one of the biggest films of all time. It's a celebration of Queen's music and their extraordinary lead singer Freddie Mercury who defied stereotypes and shattered convention to become one of the most beloved entertainers on the planet. Mercury also was a gay man.
Apparently, the biopic was just released in China on Friday, but references to Mercury's sexuality and AIDS diagnosis were cut from the film and/or censored. China has a strict policy on LGBTQ representation in their entertainment.
Parts of the film didn't even make sense for viewers, as so many of the scenes in the film were removed...
Our country isn't perfect, and there is still so much progress that needs to be made, but it's times like these when I read about this kind of stuff, that makes me feel lucky and grateful that I live here.
According to blabbermouth.net:
Around four minutes' worth of footage was cut out of the film, including scenes of two men kissing and the word "gay". Also missing is including the scene in which Mercury comes out to his then-girlfriend.
Feili Xie, a 28-year-old gay man from Beijing, told the ABC that while he was in favor of "Bohemian Rhapsody" being screened in China, he was disappointed about the "devious treatment" censors gave the film.
"It is seriously and obviously out of context, where many scenes in the film didn't make any sense at all," he said.
Last month, China censored Rami Malek's Academy Awards speech. The actor, who won an Oscar for his portrayal of the late singer in the film, had a LGBT reference censored by Mango TV, one of China's most popular channels and one of only two networks that live-streamed the Academy Awards telecast in China.
While accepting the prize, Malek said: "Listen, we made a film about a gay man, an immigrant, who lived his life unapologetically himself, and the fact that I'm celebrating him and his story here tonight is proof that we're longing for stories like this." Mango TV's subtitles removed "gay man" and replaced it with "special group."