References to same-sex love from sitcom edited before streaming on Chinese OTT sites
A still from Friends
US sitcom Friends has been edited on Chinese streaming platforms — including iQiyi and Youku — which have removed all references to Ross Geller’s ex-wife Carol being gay and in a relationship with another woman.
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The role of Carol was played by Anita Barone, before she was replaced by Jane Sibbett. Her first appearance in the show, including all references to Ross, played by David Schwimmer, getting divorced, was edited out, the South China Morning Post newspaper reports.
Meanwhile, a scene that showed Joey (played by Matt LeBlanc), and Chandler (played by Matthew Perry) kissing at a New Year’s Eve party has also been removed by the streaming platforms.
Fans of the comedy recently took to the Chinese social media site Weibo to voice their opposition to the move, using the hashtag FriendsCensored. However, the hashtag has now been removed from the site, according to CNN.
Prior to this release, the unedited version of the sitcom was available between 2012 and 2013 on platforms such as Sohu and iQiyi.
However, in 2016, the Chinese government brought in new guidelines that prohibited TV programmes from featuring gay relationships, along with topics that “exaggerate the dark side of society”.
The eight-page document banned “vulgar, immoral and unhealthy content” and ruled that homosexuality, extra-marital affairs, casual sex and under-age relationships as no-go areas.
Bohemian Rhapsody, the Oscar-winning biopic of Queen front-man Freddie Mercury, was previously altered to meet the guidelines. Editors of the film removed over two minutes of LGBT content, including two men kissing and the use of the word “gay” in 2019.
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