Singapore cuts same-sex kiss from Les Misérables production

The city state still outlaws sex between two men, with the act being punishable by up to two years in prison

A same-sex kiss has been censored from a production of the musical Les Misérables in Singapore.

The moment was cut after the show's organizer, Mediacorp VizPro, was told by the state regulator, the Media Development Authority (MDA), that it violated the show's "General" rating; with the kiss, between two male actors, receiving complaints from the public.

In Singapore, an old law from its time under British colonialism still exists which outlaws sex between two men, punishable by up to two years in prison; though it is rarely enforced, there have still been nine convictions under the law between 2007 and 2013. The law does not extend to lesbian partners.

"The inclusion of this particular scene meant that the performance had exceeded the 'General' rating issued," the MDA said in a statement to Reuters. "Under our classification code, such a scene would fall under an 'Advisory' rating." The decision was made to remove the kiss instead of changing the rating for business reasons, as it would potentially prevent children from seeing the show.

The kiss was stated by the company to have been a "peck on the lips" during the comical "The Wedding Chorale - Beggars at the Feast" sequence of the musical, intended to be a comic moment within the adaptation of Victor Hugo's 19th century Parisian novel.

This follows from Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs warning that it would take steps to prevent foreign firms like Facebook, Apple, Google, and Goldman Sachs from funding or supporting the city's annual gay-pride event, Pink Dot.