LGBT Groups Condemn Bohemian Rhapsody Cuts

The Chinese release of Bohemian Rhapsody, a biopic on British rock band Queen, has left many in China's gay community disheartened, as censors scrubbed a key part of the protagonist's story – his sexuality.

Multiple gay scenes in the film about iconic musician Freddie Mercury were dropped, including a pivotal moment when he comes out to his wife.

Romantic scenes between two men, such as a kiss shared by Mercury and his personal assistant, were also erased.

"The Chinese release is no different from a fabricated story," said Hua Zile, founder of Voice of China LGBT, a media and advocacy platform for China's gay community with over a million followers on Twitter-like Weibo.

The censored film "disrespects the real experience of the character", he said. "For gay people in the country, this is a huge regret."

In China, it is common for films to undergo a strict approval process and see scenes cut before receiving a greenlight for release.

Still, despite the censorship, Chinese moviegoers have embraced Bohemian Rhapsody, which is ranked in the top five after its release last week.

According to the China Movie Data Information Network, an official site that tracks ticket sales, the Queen biopic has netted around 53.7 million yuan (US$8 million) so far.

For some viewers, especially those who were not familiar with Queen and Mercury's story, the censorship was not apparent enough to take away from the experience.

"I didn't realise it was censored," said Dian Dian, a moviegoer in Beijing who saw the film on Wednesday. "I just thought they had shot it in a very subtle way." (AFP)