Malaysia confirms Bohemian Rhapsody gay scenes cut

The head of Malaysia’s censorship board has confirmed that the country has cut gay scenes from Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody.

The head of the Malaysian Film Censorship Board, Mohd Zamberi Abdul Aziz, confirmed to the Malay Mail on Tuesday (November 13) that the biopic based on the life of Queen singer Freddie Mercury has been censored to omit references to his same-sex relationships.

Key scenes referencing Mercury’s partner Jim Hutton were cut from the Malaysian release of Bohemian Rhapsody, which movie-goers reported to be several minutes shorter than the version shown in the UK and internationally.

“Anything related to LGBT or promoting it will not be approved.”

— Mohd Zamberi Abdul Aziz

Speaking to the Malay Mail, Aziz confirmed that the Malaysia release of Bohemian Rhapsody had cut “four gay scenes.”

Gay content cut from Bohemian Rhapsody

The censorship chief claimed the cuts “involved moments such as men kissing each other, men rubbing each other, and a group of men in dresses partying in a mansion.”

He told the newspaper:  “Another scene removed was the post credit scene which stated Freddie Mercury and Jim Hutton lived a happy life because it showed that they were in a gay relationship… anything related to LGBT or promoting it will not be approved.”

Bohemian Rhapsody, released in November, stars Rami Malek as Queen singer Freddie Mercury

Aziz claimed the cuts amount to no more than three minutes in total, rather than the more-than 20 minutes that fans reported had been excised from the original 133 minute release.

However, Aziz declined to detail the specific cuts that had been made, claiming: “It will raise more arguments due to our different views.”

Bohemian Rhapsody, which stars Rami Malek, was censored in Malaysia. (Twentieth Century Fox)

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