Guardian: Singapore TV fined for showing gay couple (April 25)

Singapore TV fined for showing gay couple

* Ian MacKinnon, south-east Asia correspondent
* guardian.co.uk,
* Friday April 25 2008

Even as Singapore tries to shed its straight-laced image, one facet of life remains beyond the pale: homosexuality on television.

The city state's government-owned broadcaster was fined £5,500 for airing a lifestyle programme featuring a gay couple with their adopted baby.

The state regulator, the Media Development Authority, said the January 13 episode of the home decor show, Find and Design, "normalises and promotes a gay lifestyle".

It followed the hit programme's host as he helped the gay couple transform their games room into a nursery for their new baby, which was shown in several scenes.

The presenter congratulated them on their "unconventional family setup", a breach of the free-to-air TV Code that bans shows that "promote, justify or glamorise gay lifestyles".

The offence was compounded by the fact that it was aired at 7.30am on a Sunday, deemed inappropriate as it fell within family viewing hours.

It was the second breach of the code by MediaCorp TV. Last year it was fined £1,700 for depicting a kissing scene between two lesbians in the drama series, Without a Trace.

Earlier this month the authority fined cable television operator StarHub £3,500 for screening an advert that showed two women kissing.

Homosexuality is still illegal in Singapore. But in October last year the government declared that private, consensual, adult homosexual sex would no longer be prosecuted.

However, the offence remains on the statute book and anyone convicted of "an act of gross indecency" could face up to two years in jail.

There have few prosecutions for gay sex, though the authorities have banned homosexual festivals and censored films, not wishing to be seen to condone it as a lifestyle choice.

Before 2003, homosexuals were barred from "sensitive positions" in Singapore's civil service, a provision removed by the former prime minister, Goh Chok Tong.

Todayonline: Channel 5 fined $15k by MDA

Channel 5 fined $15k by MDA

Friday • April 25, 2008

THE Media Development Authority (MDA) of Singapore has fined MediaCorp TV Channel 5 $15,000, the authority said in a statement on its website yesterday.

On Jan 13 at 7.30am, the station had aired an episode of an acquired home and decor series, "Find and Design". The episode featured a gay couple wanting to transform their game room into a new nursery for their adopted baby.

The authority said the episode had contained scenes of the couple with their baby.

It also featured "the presenter's congratulations and acknowledgement of them as a family unit in a way which normalises their gay lifestyle and unconventional family setup".

This was in breach of the Free-to-Air TV Programme Code, which disallows programmes that promote, justify or glamourise gay lifestyles.

The MDA said it consulted the Programme Advisory Committee for English Programmes, which felt that the programme was "inappropriate" for its Sunday morning timeslot as this was "within family viewing hours".

Taking such considerations into account — and the fact that this was a second breach by MediaCorp TV — the MDA decided on the fine.

Mr Kenneth Liang, executive vice president of TV programming and production, said: "We accept the reasons for the fine. Our relationship with MDA is a dynamic one, just as regulations are not static as well. They change with the changing values of society.

"If we have overstepped the boundary this time, at least we now know where the OB marker is."

Last year, the broadcaster was fined $5,000 for airing a kissing scene between two lesbians in an episode of drama series "Without a Trace".

Earlier this month, the MDA fined StarHub Cable Vision $10,000 for airing a commercial that showed two lesbians kissing.

AFP: Singapore TV fined for gay scenes (April 25)

Singapore TV fined for gay scenes

16 hours ago

SINGAPORE (AFP) — A Singapore television channel has been fined 15,000 Singapore dollars (11,200 US) for promoting a gay lifestyle, the media regulator said.

MediaCorp TV Channel 5 was fined for an episode of a home decor series, "Find and Design", which contained several scenes of a gay couple with their baby, the Media Development Authority said in a statement issued late Thursday.

In the episode concerned MDA said the host of the show helped a gay couple transform their room into a new nursery for their adopted baby and congratulated and acknowledged them as a family unit.

The episode, which aired in January, "normalises their gay lifestyle and unconventional family setup", MDA said.

This was in breach of the code governing programmes which are available free over the air, it said. The code disallows programmes that promote, justify or glamorise gay lifestyles.

Singapore, Southeast Asia's most advanced economy, maintains strict censorship laws.

Earlier this month, MDA fined a cable television operator 10,000 dollars for broadcasting an advertisement featuring lesbian kissing.

As part of major revisions of the Penal Code approved by parliament last year, Singapore legalised oral and anal sex between heterosexual couples but retained a law that criminalises intercourse between gay men.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong favoured the retention of the law, saying Singapore remains a conservative society -- with the traditional family as its main building block -- and homosexuals cannot set the tone for the mainstream.

Abolishing the law could "send the wrong signal" and push gay activists to ask for more concessions, such as same-sex marriage and parenting, Lee said.

Queerty: More Anti-Gay Media Fines in Singapore (April 24)

More Anti-Gay Media Fines In Singapore

Singapore’s media police have been all about the queer crackdown.

Cable company StarHub found itself fined earlier this month after airing a music video featuring a lesbian kiss. The nation-state’s Media Authority wagged its finger at StarHub, saying the showing was “in breach of the TV advertising guidelines, which disallows advertisements that condone homosexuality.”

Now another channel has been fined $11,000 for broadcasting an episode of fix-it-up show, “Find and Design,” which included a gay couple looking to refashion a game room into a nursery for their freshly adopted baby.

Again, officials claim the offending network illegally promoted gay ways.

ABC: Singapore TV operator fined over lesbian kiss (April 10)

Singapore TV operator fined over lesbian kiss

Updated Thu Apr 10, 2008 11:23am AEST

A cable television operator in Singapore has been fined over $US7,000 for broadcasting an advertisement featuring lesbian kissing.

Singapore's media regulator says an advert promoting a song by Mandarin pop singer Olivia Yan "romanticised scenes of two girls kissing... and it portrayed the relationship as acceptable."

The Media Development Authority says the scenes, aired on the MTV Mandarin channel by StarHub Cable Vision, were in breach of television advertising guidelines, which ban commercials condoning homosexuality.

StarHub says it is disappointed with the watchdog's decision but says it understands the concern and will work closely with partners to ensure broadcasting guidelines are adhered to.

ST: SCV fined for airing lesbian kiss in music ad (April 9)

April 9, 2008
SCV fined for airing lesbian kiss in music ad

CABLE television operator StarHub Cable Vision (SCV) has been fined $10,000 for airing a music video that showed two women kissing for about nine seconds.

The clip for Sha Hai Zi (Silly Child) by Mandarin pop singer Olivia Yan aired over MTV Mandarin Channel on Nov 26 and 28 last year. It shows Yan kissing and embracing actress Pei Lin.

According to the Taipei Times, Pei has been getting kudos from netizens for her portrayal of a lesbian in the music video, supposedly a first for Taiwan.

The Media Development Authority (MDA) said in a statement on its Web site on Wednesday that 'romanticised scenes of two girls kissing were shown and it portrayed the relationship as acceptable'.

The statement added: 'This is in breach of the TV advertising guidelines, which disallows advertisements that condone homosexuality.'

MTV Mandarin had classified the music video as a commercial for Olivia Yan's album.

MDA had consulted the Advisory Committee for Chinese Programmes and the committee agreed that the clip had promoted lesbianism as 'acceptable and romantic'.

Caitlin Fua, StarHub's Corporate Communications Manager responded: 'We are disappointed with MDA's decision to impose the penalty.'

She added however that SCV understood MDA's concern and will work with their content partners to ensure that local broadcasting guidelines are adhered to.