Brief Same-Sex Kiss Scene in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Cut from Singapore Screenings
Spencer Baculi
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A minor scene in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker featuring two female Resistance members sharing a kiss has been cut from the release of the film in Singapore in order for the film to keep a PG-13 rating.
The Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA), a statutory board in Singapore responsible for regulating the country’s media, told the BBC that the scene was cut by Disney before submission to the board in order to ensure that the film would hold a PG-13 rating in the country:
“The applicant has omitted a brief scene which under the film classification guidelines would require a higher rating.”
Following in the footsteps of the United Arab Emirates, Singapore is now the second country to remove the scene from screenings of the film.
In Singapore, homosexuality is still considered illegal, though the law is more punitive towards gay relationships between males than towards relationships between lesbian females.
Same-sex marriages are not recognized, same-sex partners cannot adopt, and there are no discrimination protections afforded to LGBT+ individuals.
Gay men specifically can face up to 2 years in prison if charged of “any act of gross indecency” for engaging in romantic or sexual activity with another man.
The scene, which features Commander D’Acy (Amanda Lawrence), who first appeared in The Last Jedi, sharing a quick kiss with an unnamed female Resistance member, was lauded by media outlets for “[making] history” despite lasting mere seconds and being included in the film in an easily-editable format for foreign markets.
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