China: Film Censors Use AI to Change Gay Couple into Straight Couple

A same-sex couple featured in the American horror film Together has been altered by its Chinese distributors into an opposite-sex couple to appease the country’s homophobic censors.

The film, written and directed by Michael Shanks and starring Dave Franco and his real-life wife Alison Brie, was released in South Africa in August.

They play a couple who move to the countryside and encounter a mysterious and terrifying force that starts altering their bodies.

Gay Newlyweds Altered into Straight Couple

At recent advance screenings of Together in China, some noticed that a scene in the film depicting a newly-wed gay male couple had been changed. One of the men’s faces was digitally replaced with that of a woman.

According to reports, other references to the same-sex couple in the film were also removed.

The Chinese distributor, Hishow, is believed to have made the changes without permission from the filmmakers or the international distributors, Neon.

Filmmakers Condemn the Changes

In a statement, Neon condemned Hishow’s actions, saying:

“Neon does not approve of Hishow’s unauthorised edit of the film and have demanded they cease distributing this altered version.”

As a result, the film has been pulled from cinemas in China. It remains unclear whether it will be re-released there.

Ongoing LGBTQ+ Censorship in China

While homosexuality is not criminalised in China, LGBTQ+ identities remain taboo, with government efforts aimed at keeping queer people out of public view.

In the past five years, authorities have shut down Pride events, including Shanghai Pride, and closed LGBTQ+ advocacy organisations such as the Beijing LGBT Center.

Censors have also clamped down on LGBTQ representation in the media, including erasing queer references in Western films such as Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore and Bohemian Rhapsody. The have also censoring broadcasts of events like the Oscars and the Eurovision Song Contest.

LGBTQ+ relationships are not legally recognised in China, and there are no anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people.