Chinese Edit of Australian Horror Film Sparks Backlash for Altering LGBTQ+ Content

An Australian film, ‘Together,’ which features a same-sex couple, has been digitally altered for its release in China. Originally, the horror film, which starred Dave Franco and Alison Brie, was due to be released publicly on September 19. However, after advance screenings on September 12, viewers discovered that certain scenes had been modified. Among the changes, a scene featuring a gay couple was altered to depict a heterosexual couple by replacing one of the male characters with a woman. Additionally, several references to the same-sex relationship were removed, and a scene featuring nudity was digitally obscured. This alteration drew immediate criticism from viewers, with many expressing outrage on social media platforms like Douban. The film’s global distributor, Neon, condemned the unauthorized edits and demanded that the Chinese distributor cease further distribution of the altered version. China has a history of censoring LGBTQ+ content, as same-sex marriage is not legally recognized, and LGBTQ+ themes are considered taboo. This incident follows other cases, such as the use of AI to modify scenes in ‘Oppenheimer.’ The controversy highlights ongoing tensions around censorship and the treatment of LGBTQ+ themes in China.