Why Rami Malek’s Acceptance Speech Censored in China?

Mango TV, a streaming site in China, altered Rami Malek’s acceptance speech after winning the Oscar by censoring the words “gay man” and replacing it with “special group.“

Clutching his new Oscar trophy, Malek said the award for his performance as Queen singer Freddie Mercury should be taken as encouragement by all young people “struggling with their identity.”

“Listen, we made a film about a gay man, an immigrant, who lived his life unapologetically himself,” he said.

Mango TV censored “gay men” and replaced it with “special group” in subtitles.

Such a kind of censorship is not new. The Chinese government is known to repress the LGBTQ sentiments, by obstructing gay-themed content from time to time. Gay-themed storytelling has been barred from television in the country for years, and a controversial set of guidelines introduced in 2017 placed a similar ban on the online streaming space.

Legalization of LGBT rights is still off the discussion table in China. The equal rights of LGBT Chinese have been one of the most urgent social problems that are yet to be solved. Owing to increasing liberal public opinion, the Chinese government has shown a fickle attitude toward the topic and don’t seem to act upon it anytime soon.