For China, Hollywood Won’t Say ‘Gay’

Hollywood came out strong against a recent Florida education bill that banned discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity from kindergarten to third grade. But its executives are more than willing to do the bidding of the Chinese Communist Party when it comes to censoring LGBT dialogue in films.

Warner Bros. Pictures removed dialogue from its new film Fantastic Beasts: The Secret of Dumbledore that acknowledged its title character, Albus Dumbledore, had a gay romantic relationship, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

The news comes just weeks after Disney CEO Bob Chapek criticized Florida governor Ron DeSantis (R.) for signing into law the Parental Rights in Education bill. A diversity and inclusion executive later announced the company would remove the use of gendered terms in its theme parks and donate $5 million to LGBT organizations across the state. Critics, including many Hollywood stars, have misleadingly referred to the education bill as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, though there is no such injunction in it. The passage of the bill prompted celebrities to chant “gay” in unison during the 94th Academy Awards.

A Warner Bros. spokesperson told the Hollywood Reporter the studio has complied before with “edits made in local markets” but that the “spirit of the film remains intact.”

Though it has lucrative arrangements with American production companies, China has a history of censoring U.S. films. In February, Vice News reported that Tencent, China’s streaming giant, censored the ending of the 1999 cult classic Fight Club, which culminates in a vast anarchist plot to overthrow the government.

Fantastic Beasts made nearly $10 million in China during its opening weekend. It will remain uncut in its U.S. version and premiere in Florida on April 15.