Censorship Deprives Millions of Hearing Oscar Night Equality Messages

[Shana A]

Censorship Deprives Millions of Hearing Oscar Night Equality Messages
by: waymonhudson
Wed Feb 25, 2009 at 08:43:17 AM EST

http://www.pamshouseblend.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=9636

or http://www.bilerico.com/2009/02/censorship_deprives_millions_of_hearing.php

By now we've all heard the great pro-equality speeches by Sean Penn and Dustin Lance Black from the Oscar telecast.  Sean Penn, not surprisingly, took on anti-gay political sentiment (and Westboro Baptist Church), while Black delivered a tear-jerking message to young queer youth that they are beautiful and loved.  I know that as a young gay boy living in rural Florida who used to stay awake to watch the Oscars, Black's message would have had a profound impact on me. 

But it seems that millions of people all over the world didn't get to hear that message of hope.

Yahoo is reporting that STAR, an Asian satellite TV service which reaches more than 300 million viewers in 53 countries, censored the Oscars to remove the words "gay" and "lesbian."  Malaysia, Singapore, and India (where huge numbers where watching to see "Slumdog Millionaire" win) where among the countries where people complained about the censorship.