China’s censors allow Star Wars lesbians

THE first same-sex kiss to grace a Star Wars film has somehow evaded normally zealous Chinese censors, much to the surprise of the public.

Two minor characters in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker are shown in a fleeting lesbian romance scene in the ninth and final instalment of the popular science fiction series.

“I saw it and was very moved. I really wish that China is making progress, even if just in small steps,” commented one person online. “It’s a good start,” stated another about the film which has already grossed £12million in its first nine days in China.

Not everyone was optimistic, with one user commenting: “Don’t worry, China will delete the scene soon.”

The scepticism is not unfounded: China tightly controls foreign films, allowing in about 40 each year, all undergoing strict censorship reviews.

Romantic scenes in Bohemian Rhapsody

involving Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury, and Alien: Covenant, a sci-fi horror, were censored before making it to China’s silver screen.

While homosexuality is legal in China, it is not widely socially accepted. Wider debates rage, with LGBT activists working to urge China’s government to legalise same-sex marriage.

In 2018 Chinese censors were ridiculed for banning Disney’s Christopher Robin after a photo of Winnie the Pooh was circulated online, comparing the bear to Xi Jinping, the nation’s leader.

Elsewhere in Asia, the lesbian scene in Star Wars has also been cut.

In Singapore, where sex between men is illegal, the lesbian kiss was removed to give the film a PG rating. The kiss was also missing in Malaysia, where homosexual acts are illegal.

China is poised to overtake North America as the world’s largest cinema market, bringing in an estimated 200 billion yuan (£22billion) a year in box office sales.