![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/STAR.jpg\" "\\"STAR\\"\/")
<\/div>\nDisney has cut a brief scene of two women kissing in the Singaporean version of its latest Star Wars film.<\/p>\n
The Rise of Skywalker features the first same-sex kiss in the franchise\u2019s history \u2013\u00a0described by reviewers\u00a0as \u201ca brief flash of two women kissing\u2026 among a crowd of characters\u201d.<\/p>\n
But the version released in Singapore omits the scene.<\/p>\n
Singapore\u2019s media regulatory body told the BBC that Disney cut the scene so it didn\u2019t get a higher age rating.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe applicant has omitted a brief scene which under the film classification guidelines would require a higher rating,\u201d said a spokesperson from IMDA.<\/p>\n
Without the kiss, the film is rated PG13 in Singapore.<\/p>\n
It is not clear if Disney \u2013 the owners of Lucasfilm, the Star Wars production company \u2013 cut the scene in other countries. It was reportedly\u00a0shown in China\u00a0but\u00a0not in the UAE.<\/p>\n
Disney has not responded to the BBC\u2019s requests for comment.<\/p>\n
Films in Singapore are typically classed under six different ratings:<\/p>\n
- \n
- G (General)<\/li>\n
- PG (Parental Guidance)<\/li>\n
- PG13 (Parental Guidance 13)<\/li>\n
- NC16 (No children under 16)<\/li>\n
- M18 (Restricted to those above 18) and<\/li>\n
- R21 (Restricted to those above 21)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
It is not clear what rating the film would have had if the same-sex scene was included. A previous gay teen rom-com, Love Simon, was rated R21 by the IMDA.<\/p>\n
In comparison, Love Simon is rated PG13 on\u00a0movie listing site IMDB.<\/p>\n
Brokeback Mountain, which featured two gay cowboys, was aired in Singapore in its entirety in 2006 \u2013\u00a0but was similarly hit with an R21 listing.<\/p>\n
Same-sex marriages are not recognised in Singapore and gay sex is illegal \u2013 though the law is not enforced.<\/p>\n
There are gay bars and clubs in Singapore, as well as an annual pride rally.<\/p>\n
In 2018, a gay Singaporean man won a landmark case allowing him to adopt a child he fathered through a surrogate.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Source: BBC<\/p>\n
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