"True" Visions Censorship

I just watched the rerun of the Academy Awards on "True" Vision.

They edited out the parts of Justin Lance Black, the Screenwriter of "Milk" and Best Actor Sean Penn's speeches where they referred to Gay and Lesbian issues. For those of you who don't know, this is what they said.

Justin Lance Black:

"When I was 13 years old, my beautiful mother and my father moved me from a conservative Mormon home in San Antonio, Texas to California, and I heard the story of Harvey Milk. And it gave me hope. It gave me the hope to live my life. It gave me the hope one day I could live my life openly as who I am and then maybe even I could even fall in love and one day get married. I wanna I wanna thank my mom, who has always loved me for who I am even when there was pressure not to. But most of all, if Harvey had not been taken from us 30 years ago, I think he'd want me to say to all of the gay and lesbian kids out there tonight who have been told that they are less than by their churches, by the government or by their families, that you are beautiful, wonderful creatures of value and that no matter what anyone tells you, God does love you and that very soon, I promise you, you will have equal rights federally, across this great nation of ours. Thank you. Thank you. And thank you, God, for giving us Harvey Milk."

Sean Penn:

"For those who saw the signs of hatred as our cars drove in tonight, I think that it is a good time for those who voted for the ban against gay marriage to sit and reflect, and anticipate their great shame, and the shame in their grandchildren's eyes if they continue that way of support. We've got to have equal rights for everyone,"

Shame on "True" Visions.

I just watched the rerun of the Academy Awards on "True" Vision.

They edited out the parts of Justin Lance Black, the Screenwriter of "Milk" and Best Actor Sean Penn's speeches where they referred to Gay and Lesbian issues.

Shame on "True" Visions.

I read in another forum that the same part was edited out from the broadcast in Singapore....maybe the feed to all of Asia was censored?

[x in pattaya]

Yes, really unfair to blame True Visions. They have virtually no control over foreign sourced content. It was STAR.

Gay Asians Criticize Oscar Speech's TV Censorship
Oscar Taboo: Homosexual Asians Upset After 'Gay' and 'Lesbian' Mentions Censored on TV
When Sean Penn and Milk screen writer Dustin Lance Black stood up on Sunday to accept their Oscars and reaffirm their commitment to gay rights, many Asian viewers didnтАЩt hear themтАУтАУliterally. Throughout Asia the words тАЬgayтАЭ and тАЬlesbianтАЭ were cut out of the Oscar telecast. According to the Associated Press, тАЬviewers who caught recorded telecasts in the evening on STAR, an Asian satellite TV service that says it reaches more than 300 million viewers in 53 countries, noticed that the sound was removed whenever both men mentioned "gay" or "lesbian."тАЭ The omissions have not gone unnoticed as gay rights activists and others have protested to their television and internet providers about this sort of censorship. But STAR's Hong Kong-based spokeswoman Jannie Poon defended the companies policies to the AP claiming they have "a responsibility to take the sensitivities and guidelines of all our markets into consideration."

In other words, Malaysia and Indonesia have to be catered to. Probably would have gone unnoticed since I doubt Islamic fundamentalists are likely to watch the Oscars, but maybe they've ended up screwing themselves more than they would have if they just let it play.


By SEAN YOONG Associated Press Writer
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia February 25, 2009 (AP)
The Associated Press

Gay Asians voiced indignation Wednesday after television broadcasts of the Academy Awards in their region censored the words "gay" and "lesbian" in speeches that called for equal rights for homosexuals.
The speeches by actor Sean Penn and writer Dustin Lance Black тАФ who won Oscars for their work in "Milk" тАФ were shown in full during live broadcasts of the Oscars that were screened across Asia on Monday morning.
But viewers who caught recorded telecasts in the evening on STAR, an Asian satellite TV service that says it reaches more than 300 million viewers in 53 countries, noticed that the sound was removed whenever both men mentioned "gay" or "lesbian."
"As a gay man, I am truly offended," Pang Khee Teik, a prominent Malaysian arts commentator, wrote in a letter sent out to several media organizations. "Stop censoring the words that describe who I am."