Film censors in Malaysia have decided the new Power Rangers movie can, after all, be shown to the public – despite the revelation that the Yellow Ranger is a lesbian.
Officials on the Islamic nation’s film classification body said the movie can be shown with no cuts, and the equivalent of a PG13 rating.
It comes immediately after Malaysia gave up trying to scrub a “gay moment” from the new Beauty and the Beast film, and agreed to show it in full.
The Power Rangers reboot posed a fresh challenge for Muslim film censors as it subtly reveals part-way through that Trini Kwan, the Yellow Ranger, is homosexual.
Describing the scene to the Hollywood Reporter, director Dean Israelite says another character realizes that what he assumes to be Trini’s “boyfriend problems” are in fact “girlfriend problems”.
Israelite said the moment, while brief and not at all graphic, is “pivotal”.
Some theaters held off selling tickets because of the potential controversy but it was put to rest on Tuesday, when censors gave the movie the thumbs-up.
Malaysia, where gay sex is still punishable by 20 years in prison, officially takes a hard line against any content showing LGBT people in a positive light.
In 2010, an official said the only way for gay characters to feature in Malaysian media is if they repent or die.
As recently as last week, the boss of the censorship board insisted that Malaysia “does not recognize LGBT” and stood by demands to cut four minutes and 38 seconds of Beauty and the Beast.
But after Disney threatened to pull the film in its entirety, Malaysia folded and gave Beauty and the Beast a PG13 rating too. It will be shown from next week.
At least in one part of the world, censorship is – for now – on the back foot.