Singapore quietly censored Obama's uplifting remarks on the LGBT community

SINGAPORE -- Singaporeans watching Ellen DeGeneres' recent interview with U.S. President Barack Obama completely missed his positive remarks on the LGBT community -- and many probably wouldn't have realised.

The show aired a special Valentine's Day episode on Feb. 12 in the U.S., that was later shown on both Singapore national TV and cable channel Lifetime on Feb. 23.

But roughly two minutes of Obama's remarks addressing host DeGeneres' contribution to the LGBT community were cut out by state censors, as first reported by GayStarNews.

Here is the clip that was cut and has been put up by an anonymous group from Singapore.

Obama:

"My whole political career has been based on the idea that we constantly want to include people, and not exclude -- how do we bring people into opportunity and success, and feeling hopeful about their lives.

"You being willing to claim who you were, that suddenly empowers other people. And then suddenly, it's your brother, it's your uncle, it's your best friend, it's your coworkers. And then attitudes shift. And the law is followed, but it started with folks like you. I'm so proud of you.

In Singapore, being gay isn't technically illegal.

The country's broadcast rules throw a wider blanket over homosexuality. Clause 6.4 of the Subscription Television Programme Code states: "Programmes that depict a homosexual lifestyle should be sensitive to community values. They should not promote or justify a homosexual lifestyle."

This meant that besides the president's remarks, a clip from first lady Michelle Obama greeting Degeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi also didn't survive the censorship board's scissors.

Singaporeans have expressed their disappointment online.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

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While the vocal majority appears to be pretty ruffled about this, LGBT issues have historically been tricky for local media. When the national broadcaster MediaCorp (which aired the snipped Obama segment) invited openly gay American performer Adam Lambert to Singapore for its New Year countdown concert at the end of 2015, there was national uproar.

Two fiercely competing petitions were put up online. The first accused Lambert of promoting a "highly sexualised lifestyle and LGBT rights," threatening "mainstream Singaporean values."

The other, a reaction to the first, called for more "diverse inclusive points of view."

Both petitions racked up tens of thousands of signatures in days. Lambert's concert in Singapore went ahead all the same, without a hitch.

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