ST Forum: Gay issue in the US far from settled (May 2)

Gay issue in the US far from settled

I AM perturbed by Mr Ken Lee Jun-Jie's views and
recommendations in his online letter on Tuesday, 'MDA
high-handed in its fine on Ch5 for gay episode'.

US practice is far from being settled. Same-sex
marriages and adoption of children by same-sex couples
are not approved in all US states. The permissive laws
and practices in Canada have been strongly divisive
and its society is unfortunately polarised. Mr Lee
should not mislead us by selectively citing highly
controversial practices by arguably a numerical and
political minority in countries such as the US and
Canada.

Broadcasting (free-to-air) channels have widespread
reach and thus different considerations, especially
towards the young, apply. The question still remains,
whether homosexual values including same-sex marriage
and alliances and adoption of children are healthy and
beneficial for our society. MDA content guidelines and
enforcement therefore strike a good balance in light
of the broader interests of our society.

Moreover, apart from the interests of the young,
broadcasting a show which advocates a highly
controversial value is an invasion of the majority's
will against the mainstreaming of homosexuality in
Singapore, as endorsed by PM Lee during last October's
parliamentary debates. Adult Singaporeans, who are so
inclined or actively seek to be 'educated', can easily
access other available sources such as the Internet.

By not blindly following the controversial position
adopted by some in other countries, MDA has shown
itself to be a credible and discerning regulator.

Andrew Lim

ST Forum: MDA high-handed in its fine on Ch5 for gay episode

April 29, 2008
MDA high-handed in its fine on Ch5 for gay episode
I AM disappointed with the Media Development Authority's imposition of
a fine on MediaCorp Channel 5 for airing an episode of a reality show
depicting a gay couple with their adopted child on Jan 13.

Gay people living together with adopted children is a reality in
countries such as the US. In censuring Channel 5 for carrying a
television programme documenting the lives of one such couple, the MDA
has denied Singaporeans the opportunity to reflect on the issue of
'non-conventional' family arrangements, and the merits or demerits of
such a phenomenon.

I am saddened by the MDA's decision to once again adopt such a
high-handed approach towards policing the media and determining what
Singapore audiences can or cannot view on the soapbox. If children are
to be protected from such issues as homosexuality, then the onus
really should be on their parents and/or guardians to do the supervision.

Adult Singaporeans, I think, have enough prudence to decide for
themselves on the feasibility and desirability of homosexuality within
the Singaporean context.

Ken Lee Jun-Jie

ST Forum: Right decision to fine MediaCorp over gay couple (April 28)

April 28, 2008
Right decision to fine MediaCorp over gay couple
I REFER to the Media Development Authority (MDA) decision against
MediaCorp in the article last Thursday, 'MediaCorp fined for airing
show featuring gay couple'.

I agree with and applaud MDA's decision to fine MediaCorp for airing a
show featuring a gay couple on television. In airing the show,
MediaCorp is tacitly promoting a gay lifestyle. The act of airing such
a show which promotes a gay (and alternative) lifestyle is detrimental
to the common good, as well as societal values.

The media should not endorsing or promote the gay lifestyle and should
not describe a gay couple as a 'family unit'. To do so is
irresponsible and may lead to erosion of values and breakdown of the
traditional family unit (father, mother and children). MDA must step
in to ensure compliance and observance of the law and guidelines,
which have been laid down to ensure good values and morals are upheld
in society.

Jacelyn Chan (Ms)

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.

Bernama.com: Singapore TV Channel Fined for Promoting Gay Lifestyle (April 25)

April 25, 2008 12:57 PM

Singapore TV Channel Fined For Promoting Gay Lifestyle

By Zakaria Abdul Wahab

SINGAPORE, April 25 (Bernama) - A Singapore government-owned local television channel has been fined $15,000 by the city-state broadcasting authority for airing a television episode that promoted gay lifestyle.

Singapore's Media Development Authority (MDA) said the episode was aired in an acquired home and decor "Find and Design" series programme on Jan 13.

The episode showed the host helping a gay couple to transform their game room into a new nursery for their adopted baby, MDA said in a statement last night.

MDA said the episode contained several scenes of the gay couple with their baby as well as the presenter's congratulations and acknowledgement of them as a family unit in a way which normalised their gay lifestyle and unconventional family setup.

It said this was in breach of the Free-to-Air TV Programme Code which disallowed programmes that promote, justify or glamourise gay lifestyles.

MDA said it consulted the Programme Advisory Committee for English Programmes (PACE) and the Committee was also of the view that a gay relationship should not be presented as an acceptable family unit.

As the programme was shown on a Sunday morning, PACE felt that it was inappropriate as such a timeslot was within family viewing hours, MDA added.

Last month, MDA fined a local cable television $10,000 for showing a song commercial that depicted lesbian kissing scenes.

-- BERNAMA

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 Life!: StarHub fined for lesbian video (April 10)

April 10, 2008

StarHub fined for lesbian video
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
website yesterday 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'.

Ms Caitlin Fua, StarHub's corporate communications manager, responded:
'We are disappointed with MDA's decision to impose the penalty.'

SCV informed MTV to stop airing the music video as soon as the matter
was brought to its attention by the MDA.

She added, however, that SCV understood MDA's concern and will work
with its content partners to ensure that local 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.

The Canadian Press: Singapore fines cable TV operator for showing commercial with lesbians kissing (April 9)

Singapore fines cable TV operator for showing commercial with lesbians kissing

Apr 9, 2008

SINGAPORE — Singapore's cable television operator has been fined for airing a commercial that showed lesbians kissing.

The Media Development Authority says in a statement on its website that it has fined StarHub Cable Vision $7,200 for airing the commercial in November.

The commercial, which was to promote a song by Mandarin pop singer Olivia Yan, was aired on MTV's Mandarin-language channel, the media regulator said.

The statement says that romanticized scenes of two girls kissing, calling it "a breach of the TV advertising guidelines, which disallows advertisements that condone homosexuality."

StarHub Cable Vision expressed disappointment at the authority's decision to impose a fine but said it would follow broadcasting rules.

Under Singapore law, gay sex is deemed "an act of gross indecency," punishable by a maximum of two years in jail.

Despite the official ban on gay sex, there have been few prosecutions.

ST: Offensive online content: MDA investigates all feedback (March 1)

March 1, 2008
Offensive online content: MDA investigates all feedback
By Lynn Lee
NOMINATED MP Thio Li-ann yesterday asked what action the Government
would take against those who posted offensive content online, and
whether it monitored television programmes for objectionable content.

For instance, if laws were violated, would it help persons defamed
online to identify the relevant Internet service providers?

'Online defamation may be considered a private matter although the
Media Development Authority (MDA), as gatekeeper, may bear
complicity...owing a duty of care to protect individual reputation,'
she said.

Senior Minister of State for Information, Communications and the Arts
Balaji Sadasivan assured her that the MDA would investigate all
feedback. Anyone could lodge complaints and on average, MDA receives
one to two a month.

It would have no qualms about using the law on those who made remarks
to incite racial and religious hatred.

But otherwise, it would continue to regulate Internet content with a
light touch, he said.

He added that libel and defamation lie outside the MDA's scope of
regulation, but online content is subject to existing laws, such as
the Penal Code.

As for TV content, Dr Thio cited a letter by Mr Bennie Cheok published
in the The Straits Times Online Forum. Mr Cheok had complained about
the screening of a programme during prime cartoon time on a Sunday,
that portrayed a gay couple with a child.

Dr Thio said that the show violated screening rules that require
themes like homosexuality to be 'cautiously treated and not glamorised
and endorsed'.

During last October's parliamentary debate on amendments to the Penal
Code, Dr Thio had made an impassioned plea for sex between men to
remain a crime here.

Dr Balaji said the MDA had received a complaint about the show and was
looking into the matter.

But he also pointed out that the show was part of a series on home
decoration and design. That particular episode was about a game room
in a home of two men and a child.

Their relationship was an 'incidental feature' of the programme, Dr
Balaji said, and Singaporeans would 'need to take a balanced view'.

He stressed that TV, especially free channels, would continue to
promote traditional family values.

AFP: Singapore OKs concert by US gay couple (Nov 23)

Singapore OKs concert by US gay couple

SINGAPORE (AFP) — In a rare move, Singapore has given approval for an American gay couple to perform next month as part of a concert to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS.

The Los Angeles-based Christian gay couple Jason and deMarco were barred in 2005 from performing in the city-state.

But the Media Development Authority (MDA) said it had approved a concert this time because organisers had given assurances that they aimed to highlight the HIV/AIDS issue.

"In 2005, a similar concert featuring the pop duo was disallowed because the concert was open to general members of the public," the MDA's deputy director for arts and licensing, Amy Tsang, said in a statement Thursday.

She said concert organisers have "given the assurance to MDA that the concert is targeted at the high risk groups.

"The organiser has also assured MDA that the aim of the concert is AIDS education and HIV prevention," she said.

The duo is to perform on December 13, the Today newspaper reported.

Vivian Balakrishnan, Singapore's second minister for information, communications and the arts, has said the city-state was liberalising but retained a very strong conservative core.

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

DPA: Irate gamers blast banning of game with same-sex love scene (Nov 15)

Irate gamers blast banning of game with same-sex love scene

Nov 15, 2007, 2:28 GMT

Singapore - Irate gamers criticized Singapore's censors Thursday for banning a highly anticipated space adventure game containing a sex scene between a human woman and a female alien.

The game, called Mass Effect, is the first from Microsoft to be prohibited in the city-state. It was to be launched next week.

Microsoft submitted Mass Effect last week to the Media Development Authority (MDA) as part of the routine procedure to get games distributed.

'We respect MDA's decision,' a company spokesman said.

The scene triggering the ban depicts the human-alien duo in suggestive positions and ends with the alien saying, 'By the Gods, that was incredible, Commander.'

Homosexual scenes in other media such as films are rarely allowed and shown only if they do not promote a gay lifestyle.

Germaine Ong, deputy editor of a local website, told The Straits Times that she has received many complaints from gamers.

'Banning the game because of one scene has caused a huge backlash from gamers, and I don't think it is worth it,' she was quoted as saying.

'People will just try to buy it from overseas sites or download from illegal sites, which is a step backward for us.'

Two other games were banned in the past, one for nudity and the other for excessive violence and religiously offensive expletives.

© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur

AFP: Singapore bans gay story reading during pride event (Aug 3)

Singapore bans gay story reading during pride event
Fri Aug 3, 9:37 AM ET

Singapore authorities have banned a story reading during the city-state's gay pride festival, saying the text showed disrespect to public officials.

The ban comes after the Media Development Authority (MDA) said it would also not allow a photo exhibition of gay kissing during the two-week pride event, which began Wednesday.

In a statement late Thursday, the MDA said it received a licence application for an event called "Tall Tales and Short Stories," which included a text by author Ng Yi-Sheng.

MDA approved the event on the condition that Ng's text was not read.

"Ng's text was disallowed as it had gone beyond good taste and decency in taking a disparaging and disrespectful view of public officers," said Amy Tsang, MDA's deputy director for arts and licensing.

Ng confirmed he has been denied a licence to read the work, which was about a young man's fictional sexual adventures with older men including military officers and government officials.
"I was expecting it, to a certain extent," said Ng, whose text made reference to an imaginary politician named "Lee Low Tar."

Alex Au, an organiser of the Indignation festival, called MDA's decision self-serving.

"Public officials should likewise be equally subject to scrutiny and the text has many layers, and to only read the superficial layer accusing it of vulgarity clearly shows no understanding of the work," Au told AFP.

Au's photo exhibition "Kissing" has also been banned by MDA.

"The proposed exhibition which focuses mainly on homosexual kissing is deemed to promote a homosexual lifestyle, and cannot be allowed," Tsang said.

Despite being one of Asia's most advanced societies, homosexual acts are still outlawed in Singapore under law dating back to British colonial days.

The government said last year that oral and anal sex in private between consenting heterosexual adults would be legalised under Singapore's first major penal code amendments in 22 years.
However, the penal code section which criminalises "gross indecency" between two males will remain, the government said.

Despite the law, gay-friendly establishments like pubs and saunas are popular with both locals and foreigners.

AP: Singapore Bans Gay Kissing Photos (Aug 1)

Singapore Bans Gay Kissing Photos

By GILLIAN WONG, Associated Press Writer

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

(08-01) 11:37 PDT SINGAPORE, (AP) --

Singapore's censors have banned an exhibition of photographs depicting gay men and women kissing, a gay rights activist said, calling the move "absurd."

The city-state's Media Development Authority denied organizers a license because the photographs "promote a homosexual lifestyle," Alex Au, founder of a Singapore gay rights group, People Like Us, told The Associated Press Wednesday.

The exhibition, entitled "Kissing," is a selection of 80 posed shots of same-sex kissing between fully clothed models, said Au, who shot the photographs.

"Kissing" was canceled after organizers received a letter from the Media Development Authority on Monday saying it was rejecting their application for a license to hold the exhibition, Au said. The media regulator confirmed in an e-mail that it rejected Au's application for a license to hold the exhibition.

"Presently, homosexual content is allowed in the appropriate context but it should not be of a promotional or exploitative nature," Amy Tsang, deputy director of media content, said in the statement. "The proposed exhibition ... which focuses mainly on homosexual kissing is deemed to promote a homosexual lifestyle, and cannot be allowed."

Tsang said, however, that authorities have previously allowed "brief same-sex kissing" in stage plays and adult-rated films.

The exhibition was part of "Indignation," a two-week gay pride series of forums, film screenings, lectures and other events that was scheduled to start later Wednesday.

"It's absurd to think that gay people do not also kiss, and that representation of such a reality would be subversive," Au said. "There is a very stereotypical representation of gays and lesbians as deviants and I think it is important to correct the stereotype."

Au added that in place of the canceled exhibition, organizers have planned a talk to be accompanied by a slideshow of the photographs. Indoor gatherings do not require police permits.

Under Singapore law, gay sex is deemed "an act of gross indecency," punishable by a maximum of two years in jail. Authorities have banned gay festivals and censored gay films, saying homosexuality should not be advocated as a lifestyle choice. Despite the official ban on gay sex, there have been few prosecutions.

___

On the Net:

"Indignation," Singapore gay pride series:

www.plu.sg/indignation/

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/08/01/entertainment/e113618D41.DTL

BBC News: Singapore censor passes Brokeback

Brokeback Mountain has been passed in its entirety by the film censors in Singapore, in spite of the country's stringent laws against homosexuality.

The Oscar-nominated film will be restricted to cinema-goers over the age of 21 and will carry a "mature theme, sexual scenes" warning.

Singapore's media content director said Ang Lee's film was passed as it did not "promote or glamorise the lifestyle".

Gay sex is punishable by a maximum of two years imprisonment in the country.

"As the entire film focuses on and revolves round the issue of homosexuality, the Board of Film Censors decided to rate it R21," said Amy Hua from the Media Development Authority.

Singaporean film critic Wong Lung Hsiang said that Brokeback Mountain is "not very controversial".

Banned

"The two characters suffer a lot, the film is very tragic, it wins sympathy from the audience," he said.

Singaporean gay rights activists are hailing the decision as a sign that censorship is being relaxed.

"This shows they are willing to give more scope for homosexuality to be examined as an issue in popular culture," said Russell Heng, founder of gay support group People Like Us.

Singapore has attempted to relax controls in an effort to market itself as an arts and media centre.

But in 2004, Taiwanese film Formula 17, which was about two teenage boys falling in love, was banned because it portrayed homosexuality as "normal, and a natural progression of society".

In 2002, a scene in The Hours, which depicted two women kissing, was cut.

New cinema ratings were introduced in 2004 in a bid to relax film censorship in Singapore and give adults greater choice over what they were able to watch.

Reuters: Singapore bans gay Web site, fines another

Singapore has banned an overseas-hosted gay Web site after receiving complaints it was recruiting underage boys for sex and nude pornography, and promoting a promiscuous homosexual lifestyle.

The city-state's media watchdog, the Media Development Authority (MDA), said on Friday that it had also slapped a S$5,000 fine on a local gay Web site, titled "Meet Gay Singapore Friends", and warned the operators to remove offensive content.

" The MDA has always adopted a light-touch approach and encourages the industry to practice self-regulation. But in this instance, we received several public complaints and we have to act on the feedback," MDA spokeswoman Casey Chang told Reuters. The banned overseas site -- which saw its membership jump over five times to 330,000 this year from 60,000 a year ago -- contained pornographic pictures and videos, as well as substantial homosexual content focusing on Singapore.

It flashed explicit advertisements recruiting underage boys for sex, facilitated the trading and exchange of nude photos of underage boys, listed places to meet others for casual sex and provided information about organized mass orgies, the MDA said. The local site had nude pictures and videos of gay men having sex which have since been removed. The MDA said both sites had violated the Internet Code of Practice which prohibits Web sites from depicting "nudity or genitalia in a manner calculated to titillate", and host materials advocating homosexuality or pedophilia.

Details of the overseas Web site have been referred to the police for investigations, the MDA said. The legal age of consent for sex in Singapore is 16 and homosexuality is illegal in the wealthy Southeast Asian city-state known for its tough laws and strict social controls.

While the government has said that it does not discriminate against homosexuals, it has stated repeatedly that it would not tolerate an open gay culture, such as hosting gay parades or legalizing homosexual sex, saying that would offend conservative Singaporeans. The MDA currently has a list of 100 banned Web sites -- of which 98 contain pornographic content and two which are deemed to promote religious extremism.